The Unforeseen
by Bijou Lee
Summary: AU: Thud. Creeeaaak. Thud. Creeeeaaak. These were the sounds every curious trespasser would hear as they enter the haunted Kudo Mansion. It COULD be real, the rumors about the ghost.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Don't sue me 'cuz I swear I don't own a single thing of Get Backers. Promise!

Enjoy!

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The moon was out tonight. A perfect circle, irregularly misty clouds blocked its silver beams from emanating a luminous glow to the quiet neighborhood of Shinjuku. Grateful for the adequate light that originated from one of God's spatial creations, the boys stared with silent apprehension at the sight that loomed straight ahead.

Weeds sprouted everywhere, unwilling to permit a single bloom to color the long, unkempt grass, naked trees hovered above these flower-killers, an occasional hoot from a night-loving creature sounded somewhere in the distance. A breeze blew their hair, causing chills to climb up their trembling spines.

Koji wanted to leave so badly. An owl indicated its nightly presence that nearly made him wet his trousers. "Bro, let's go. It's getting really dark and cold, and we might get into trouble." He unconsciously clutched his crotch and bopped the pee-pee-dance.

Kagami glared at his brother, said without pity as he shoved his brother, "You'll be in big trouble if you dare wet your pants 'cuz I ain't changing it for ya after ya do your little accident. Now c'mon, unless you want to flee and scream all the way home."

Fudou stifled a laugh and amusingly looked at the two brothers. They definitely didn't look or act like they were siblings. Kagami's silky blonde locks and rare violet orbs often dazzled ladies, while Koji's muddy brown hair was styled downwards, shielding his gray, warm eyes that strangely repulsed girls from him. But their looks weren't the only features that made them look different. Kagami was a rude, aloof, and sly sixteen-year-old, whereas Koji, six years down, was inherently polite, shy, and sweet.

Kagami's qualities have amused Fudou, making their bond as friends closer. They had one thing in common, a favorite hobby, an instinctive rush that frequently excited the both of them. Just like Kagami, he enjoyed teasing, mocking other people and their businesses.

"Sorry. I'm going." Koji held his breath and fought not to cry. He urged his wobbly legs to move on, to show his brother and Fudou that he wasn't as scared as a chicken. He didn't even know how he got himself into this mess in the first place.

Fudou crossed the rusted gate's seemingly hostile entrance and shook his head. "You had to bring the shrimp."

Kagami brushed his fair locks from his eyes, said impassively, "Babysitting. No choice. Plus ten bucks if I do it. Now stop complaining."

"Whatever. He's a pain."

"I know. Now let's go." As they walked along the rugged and wide walkway, Koji felt his bladder reaching explosion as they approached the huge house. No light signaled a living being's presence, unattended mosses strangled the gray walls and dusty windows, creaky boards protested against no solid foot but the wind's chilling breath.

When Fudou cautiously set foot on the noisy porch, the door involuntarily swung open. Koji choked a scream—causing him to drop his flashlight—and stumbled on the crisp grass. Slightly taken aback, Kagami rolled his eyes and looked irritatingly at his brother. "Get up, you wimp. You go on ahead, Fudou."

"Sure thing, boss." Fudou theatrically saluted and made his way to the pitch-black foyer that waited patiently before them. Kagami hurriedly pulled his brother to a standing position and practically dragged him through the cracked threshold. As soon as they were safely inside, the door slammed shut and the lock was magically engaged. The trio looked wearily behind them, and Koji involuntarily held his brother's shirt, whimpered through shaking, pale lips, "Bro, please. Let's get out of here."

Fudou rushed past them and tried to open the door. "Damn! We're locked in." He went to one of the windows and tried to pry it open. "It's jammed. Dude! Help me out here."

But Kagami didn't pay any attention to them. He scanned the grimy floor, the shattered chandelier lying in the corner, wilted flowers sagged in a pot on an old mahogany table beside him, and a broken mirror, reflecting a disfigured image of himself, hung above them. He wasn't superstitious, but he felt rather uneasy. He suddenly remembered the past, the time when he used to come here, the time when he stood on this same floor—only without dust coating his sneakers—waiting for long minutes till she gawkily stomped toward him and more bickering would surface between them.

He sighed, yelled at Fudou, "Stop your panicky state and let's finish this." He shifted his flashlight from the floor to the door at his right. As he took two steps forward, a troubling sound was heard from above. _Creeeeeaaaak. Creeeeeeaaaaak. _Floorboards screeched toward their direction, making its way along the second-floor-hallway. Slowly, very slowly, uneven steps made cold sweat ooze down their shoulder blades. Unable to move, too scared to budge an inch, Koji hid his face in his brother's shirt and sobbed.

Kagami was too preoccupied by the noise to notice his soaked shirt. He anxiously waited till whoever attempted to near them came into view. He wanted to see, to see if the rumors were true about the neighborhood's ghost that has been disturbing the Kudo mansion for years.

Fudou dropped his light and dashed to the door, struggled with the doorknob, cursed under his breath. "Damn fucking door! Won't frigging open! Kagami! A little help!" But Kagami focused on the imminent footsteps, ignored his little brother and friend.

Suddenly, _Thud. Creeeeeaaaak. Thud. Creeeeaaaaak. Thud. Creeeeaaaak. Thud. Creeeeaaaak. _Fudou stopped and listened. Koji squeezed his eyes shut; bit his lower lip to stop his weeping. Kagami only waited, stared at the perpetual gloom. His heart was beating rapidly, his body was cold, not from the freezing air that drifted around them, but from the escalating terror building inside. He compelled himself to wait, to stay calm. He waited, and waited, and waited.

Fudou nervously looked at Kagami's back and hissed at him, "Kagami. Hoy! Let's get the hell out of here." Kagami merely made a hand motion to hush Fudou and continued to wait. Without warning, a blinding white flash enveloped them. Kagami covered his eyes with his arm for a moment and squinted at the figure that stood on the top step of the stairway.

When his vision cleared a bit, his insides churned, making him lurch forward, and he felt his heart beating so erratically that his ribs could break any minute from the continuous rhythm. He could see her. He was actually looking at her. Unusual green hair danced with the whistling air, violet eyes looked at them vehemently, looked at him with poisonous anger. Eye-stinging light outlined her curvaceous form, making her look like an apparition, an angel sent from above. She was almost perfect. Perfect. If it weren't for her fiery eyes and, the thing. He instantly saw it. The thing that she hated. The thing that he hated.

As their gaze met, the light flashed an even brighter shade of white, plus an incensed wind that blinded them for seconds. When he could feel no wind blowing through him anymore, when he could sense no light searing his closed eyelids, he gradually opened his eyes. She disappeared without a trace. Like a ghost.

He remembered it well, the past that he loathed. He truly regretted for what he did to her. He hated himself for what he did to her years ago. He loved her, though she would never know, now that it seemed as though the rumors were true.

He felt a tug on his shirt. He stared blankly at his red-faced brother and asked, "What?"

"I'm sorry if I cried on your shirt."

Kagami looked at his wet shirt and shrugged it off. He could kill his brother next time for more annoying reasons than this. He felt another tug on his shirt. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "What now?"

"I'm afraid that… isn't the only thing I wetted."

Kagami looked down, annoyance creeping into his face. "I'll kill you!"

"Sorry," was Koji's only response. "Can we go home now?"

Kagami wanted to pound his brother's head, but he was too exhausted to gather enough strength to administer a bruise on Koji's empty head. He also pitied his brother's appearance. Slightly. His face was damp with both sweat and tears blended together, a thin trail of blood leaked from his lip, and his pants stank with urine.

"I'm gonna be in big trouble once we get home." Unlike his usual character, he seized his brother's clammy hand and led him to the door. He saw Fudou quivering beside the door, his eyes wild with fear. "Can we go now?"

"Yup." Kagami detached the lock and turned the knob with ease. "These things won't open if you don't disengage the lock first. You won't get anywhere with that, my friend."

Fudou, who has already regained his composure, retorted, "Smart-ass."

When they exited through the gateway, Kagami didn't look back. _Goodbye, Himiko._

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You like? No? Review! XP

To be continued…


	2. Distant lovers

_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Get Backers…. _

_Enjoy!_

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_Shinjuku_

He hated his life. It was annoying enough that his parents nearly enrolled him into an extravagant, nauseatingly wealthy school without his consent—which he soon discovered during one of their superficial discussions and shortly after that, was arduously able to win over their reluctant approval after months of sulking, locking himself up in his lavish bedroom—what more forcing him to attend a family gathering concerning his father's recent and predictable success in the business world.

They undoubtedly knew he disliked attending this sort of occasion, as his father's welling accomplishments were indeed apparent and renowned in the technical business, both internationally and locally. Though he idolized his father's managing skills, witty remarks, and rare talent of achieving success with no difficulty, Mido Shin was an ostentatious businessman; as long as it regarded his affluence—the result of his escalating victory over other industries—he absolutely loved flashy cameras and buzzing reporters encircling around him, following his amusing trail of wealth. In short, his father was a pain in Ban's ass.

Despite his petty complaints toward his family's rather aggravating behavior, Ban was incredibly grateful though to have acquired a little freedom from all those sickeningly rich types. Not that he didn't enjoy the ambiance of expensive perfumes, real, leather bags, fancy cuisine, and branded costumes. It was just that he wanted to try the simple life. Not to mention that wealthy girls were extreme snobs and too gaudy for his taste. He much preferred women who lived the uncomplicated life yet held some class in their submissive selves. He liked that in a lady: easy to lure into his charm, beautiful features, and compliant to his wishes.

It seemed so appealing, life's simplicity. Instead of expecting other people to do the job for you or sensing numerous eyes following you every single time—from malls to its restrooms—he merely needed space. To stop this paranoid madness, he decided to transfer into a public school instead of a private one. And to make matters better for him, after his mind-spinning tactic that slowly persuaded them into agreeing with him, he rented an apartment—far from the neighborhood of the suffocating rich brats to a rundown five-story building that caused his parents to rocket into space.

Ban laughed at the inescapable memory that pleasantly never failed to flee from his mind. Everyday, as soon as one or both of his parents caught sight of him in the house, they would rant on and on about how inadequate the educational standard was in public high schools, or how unsophisticated the students were there. To escape from their continuous discourse, he would merely stomp calmly into his room and remain there till they would decide to retreat for the time being. It amused him than annoy him though. Soon, his parents finally gave in to his unperturbed tenacity.

He sighed and stopped right in front of the entry to the front lawn. A half-century old Victorian house with French windows that pasted the peach walls, vines twined along its corners, copious and colorful flowers dotted the perfectly tidy lawn, and a brick-red walkway snaked the green turf. Staring at the seemingly cozy dwelling, a smirk formed his lips. It was quite ironic that only two guys lived here, yet their domain's exterior looked like it was crafted with a woman's touch.

As he rang the doorbell and glanced impatiently at his watch, Teshimene, Ginji's foster dad, greeted him with a smile. "Ginji is still getting ready. You might wanna come in." He retreated from the doorway and gestured Ban to enter through the threshold. Shutting the door, Teshimene yelled, "Ginji! Hurry up or you'll be late. Ban's here."

"Got it, dad!"

Teshimene grinned, turned to Ban. "Sorry. Forgot to wake him up. That boy sure looks as dead as a rock once his head hits the pillow. I could even hear his alarm clock from his room that's just across from mine, and when I check up on him, he's still glued to the bed." He shook his head and asked, "Heard that your dad's throwing another party. You going?"

"Does it look like I have any other choice? You?"

"Same here. He's my best friend, so Paul and I are obliged to go. I've planned to bring Ginji by the way. Reckon that you might need company."

Ban shrugged. Suddenly, hasty footsteps thundered down the winding stairway. Ginji jumped and landed three steps down with a boom. Teshimene chuckled. "Wow there tiger, where's the fire?"

"It'll scorch his hair soon if we turn out to be late for school," Ban said while turning to the door. Ginji gulped, dashed to Ban's side. "Sorry, I overslept and well… I'm really sorry, Ban."

"Yeah, but I swear, if we're late, you owe me lunch." Ban heard Ginji's moan and had to smirk. He then wrapped an arm around his blonde friend's neck and started off along the walkway. "Don't worry. I'm sure your dad's nice enough to lend you some more cash for this Friday's hangout-night."

Ginji's head leaned back, making Ban slow down a bit. "But he just gave me my allowance two days ago. I can't all of a sudden come barging into his room and ask for more. I just can't. Besides, you're rich enough to buy yourself a new mansion. What more a greasy burger and salty, fat fries?"

Ban patted Ginji's head and said, "I know that, but do you think I care about my health? In addition, I plan to save it for bigger fish. And on top of all that, I too have a weekly allowance, so don't say that it's filthy unfair for me to save a little for potential… affairs, k?"

"Potential affairs? I thought that you're having a ball with Kira?"

"Well, yeah. You can say that, but ah… she ain't staying for long, I'm afraid."

Ginji quickly pulled away from Ban's grasp and tried his best to look sternly at Ban. "Ban, that's wrong and you know it. You can't just date Kira for a day and dump her the next. It's plain crazy and wrong."

Ban shrugged. "Can't help it. Got tired of her frequent babble about this and that, and I had to plead with Akabane to get me a less fussy catch. He's really good, gotta admit that."

Ginji shook his head as Ban continued. "Apparently, he enjoys looking for beauties, hunts them down, and sends me the photos and info bout them. Nice."

"Ban—" Ginji was interrupted by Shido calling them from behind.

"Ginji! Ban! Wait up!" Ginji turned, waved his friend to hurry up.

"Shido! Took you long enough. Where's Emishi?" Ginji waited patiently as his friend gradually gathered his equanimity. "Left… left him. Obviously, the man can't leave his toast and eggs. Hey, Ban."

"Yo."

Ban sauntered off, leaving Ginji and Shido following him from the rear.

"Hey Ban. Why in a hurry? It's not like we're gonna be late." Shido halted and glanced at his watch. "We have half an hour to kill. I certainly don't wanna waste it in the stuffy classroom, waiting for the bell to ring. Boring."

"Nag, nag, nag. Nothing wrong with being early as always, is there?"

"He only wants to stalk more girls, that's all," Ginji whispered to Shido.

"I heard that. And in case you want to know, I'm craving for a huge sundae now. So you owe me a cheeseburger and ice cream. And I'll remember that."

Ginji yelled, sprinted to Ban's side. "I'm so sorry, Ban. I was only joking. Don't do this to me, please!"

Ban laughed and ruffled Ginji's sun-bleached hair. "Jeez, Ginji. You sound like my mother. Can't you take a joke?"

Ginji lightly blushed and scratched his head. He then hesitantly asked, "So, it's really a joke?"

Shido slapped his forehead. Amused, he waited for Ban's reply.

"Mmm… But come to think of it, ice cream does sound good. In fact, I'm craving for three humongous scoops of Rocky Road right now. What about you, Shido? Don't deny that I don't know about your cravings for sugar."

"Guilty. And make mine two servings of banana split. Largest size, of course."

Ginji vigorously shook his head, groaned. "You guys have to be bluffing. I can't pay for all of that."

"Then you'll have to wash the dishes afterwards. By the way, you're breaking up with Kira?" Shido asked Ban.

"Maybe. Can't stand her."

"Man oh man. Talk about fast and furious. She's like what, you're fifth this month?"

"Seventh, I think. Or was it eighth? Can't remember."

"You dog. Don't tell me you have a list full of chicks' names and, one by one scratch them off the list after dissecting them one after the other."

"More like pics and info about them, but you sure were close."

Shido flashed a grin and said, "You are unbelievable."

Still bearing in mind about the debt-ridden dessert, Ginji interrupted them by asking, "You two were bluffing, weren't you?"

Ban was about to retort when their attention was diverted to the bleak Kudo mansion. An aged black gate, speckled with rust, made Ginji tremble with uneasiness. He despised and was fairly afraid of depressing stuff. He always preferred light, multihued things above everything else. "Let's go. Don't want to waste our time now, do we? Ban? Shido?"

Shido strolled along the sidewalk, ignoring the spooky structure that faced them. "Ban. Come on."

Ban, on the other hand, didn't move. He stared at its foggy windows and could have sworn to have spotted a face looking out at them. Ever since he moved to Shinjuku and walked past this specific area, he felt like something inexplicable was drawing him to discover, to explore this ethereal mystery that has been baffling the neighborhood for ages.

Transporting himself to his hypothetical world, Ban didn't notice his friends looking oddly at him. Ginji saw this and swiftly shook Ban to return him to reality. "Ban? You okay?"

Ban nodded, jammed his hands into his pockets, and joined his friends. "What are you waiting for? The bell to inform us we're late? Jeez!"

With his arms hugging his friends' napes, Ginji nudged both Ban and Shido to Shinjuku's direction. Through his peripheral vision, Ban could sense someone looking at them, someone who's lonely, afraid to encounter the outside world, someone who wanted to belong.

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RING!

"Okay. She's late. _My_ five bucks." With an arched brow, Hevn teasingly opened her palm and waited till Chloe handed the money.

Chloe feigned annoyance and slapped the cash into Hevn's hand. "Damn it! Why do you always have to win our bets?" Chloe grinned and turned to a sweaty Natsumi crossing the door's entryway.

"Because I'm so clever." Hevn smiled and scrutinized Natsumi with an appreciative stare.

Natsumi dumped her bag onto her desk, and plopped resignedly on her seat. "I so despise mornings. And what's up with the clever stuff?"

"Let's just say, thanks to you, I have extra cash to buy me new shades later."

Chloe mumbled something and Natsumi eyed her buddies warily. "Not funny."

"Of course it is." Chloe glared at Hevn. "Or… maybe not. Ahh… look at what the cat dragged in."

Chloe and Natsumi turned to Hevn's center of attention. As Natsumi realized who it was, her face grew into a bright shade of red. Ginji shuffled toward her with a paper bag in hand.

"Hi."

"Uh… hi. Um… what's that?"

"Bread. Shido didn't have any breakfast, so I took the liberty to buy some for him. Lucky for him, I found a food stand near the school, so I went for it. It sure is better than nothing, don't you think?"

"Absolutely. That's awfully nice of you." Natsumi quickly averted her gaze from Ginji's and felt her face redden.

Ginji blushed and when silence dominated between them, Hevn roused them by saying, "Hate to burst your bubble, Romeo, but playboy's calling you." She jerked a thumb at a scowling Ban.

Ginji nodded and bid farewell to Natsumi for the moment. When he was far from hearing range, Natsumi cupped her face with her hands, and leaned on her desk. "I feel so pathetic. What am I gonna do about him?"

"Tell him how you feel. Piece of cake." Hevn simply told her as she grabbed a nail file from her tiny purse and effortlessly did her polished nails.

Chloe patted Natsumi's shoulder and assuredly said, "Hevn's quite right about the confession part. And to make matters easier for you, we'll help you."

"It's not quite. It's _really _easy. You only have to write a note, tell him to meet you somewhere remote, and pop your inner feelings. So easy."

"Not entirely. It needs preparation, like training for a grand showdown. This is love we're taking about here. Fragile. It's not as easy as you say it is."

"It'll be hard if you keep telling her it is. In case you've forgotten, I've told several boys my feelings for them and it was trouble-free. Totally. You just think it's like the end of the world because you've never had a boyfriend." Hevn fluttered her lashes and smirked at Chloe.

Chloe's cheeks pinked. "So? FYI, I'm proud to be single. No smelly guy following me from behind, now that's what I call freedom. You gotta enjoy virginity while you still have it." She then cautiously teased her wavy, silver tress.

"Uh-huh." Hevn whirled to confront Natsumi. "Girl, I have a lot of experiences with guys and believe me, I know my man. So… I suggest you better tell him as soon as possible before the guy gets tired of waiting."

"But isn't the guy supposed to tell me first?"

"Yeah, usually. But if you do it, then it'll show him that you got an edge, a streak. It'll prove that you are decisive and strong. No guy has to be first in line all the time. Hello, this is the 21st century. So, keep my word for it, you'll thank me afterwards. I promise."

"I don't—" She was interrupted by a shadow emerging in the doorway.

"Surprised? Good morning, class." Mr. Paul Wan placed his belongings on the teacher's desk and began the roll call. Finished with the checking, he smiled and said, "Such a wonderful day it is for an English pop quiz, don't you kids think so?"

Groans echoed across the room. "Now, now, settle down. No time to be fussy." Paul coolly grabbed the stack of papers and started along the left side's aisle.

As Paul strolled and handed a paper to each reluctant student, Ginji and Emishi wailed in terror. "We're gonna fail!"

"Stop exaggerating, you two. I know that you'll do fine." Makubex smiled at Ginji and Emishi's sagged expressions and viewed his laptop's screensaver.

"I'm fully aware of your passion for computers, but I'm afraid it's my duty as a teacher to remind you that you're taking a test here, so…"

"Shut it off. Got it, Mr. P."

"That's right." Paul handed Makubex his paper and approached a jaded Ban. "Here you go. Looks like you're ready."

"I am. Thanks." He uncovered his pen from his shirt's pocket as every absorbed knowledge was put into required use.

Seats away from each other, a single thought pestered Ginji and Natsumi's minds. _Dad's going to kill me! _

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"Oh, Ban. What am I gonna tell dad?"

"The test results haven't come out yet, so don't worry. If you did fail, then I'll pray for you."

"You're not helping."

"What do you want me to say? Tell you that it's just a dream?"

"Sounds better."

"That's senseless," Ban exclaimed exasperatedly.

"What's senseless?"

Their attention was immediately diverted to the brunette smiling at them.

"Kazuki! Where have you been?" Ginji dashed to Kazuki, who was standing before her locker, and returned the smile.

"Biology. I switched my morning's schedule, remember?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot." Ginji sheepishly scratched his head and asked, "So how's Aunt Kaiko doing?"

"Mom's fine. What about Uncle Teshi?"

"Groovy. He just relocated some yellow dahlias and petunias in the backyard, added impatiens to the collection. You gotta see our garden, it's incredible!"

"I'd love to." She glanced at Ban and amiably asked, "You're quiet today. Cat got your tongue?"

Ban calmly sauntered to her. When his nose was a few inches away from hers, he seductively said, "Yeah. Didn't know that you cared."

"I don't. It was only a question." She wanted to slap his smug face so badly, but decided that was what he wanted her to do. She instead looked at him unemotionally.

"Want to go out with me this Friday?"

"What happened to our get-together night?"

"We can dump the guys. So what do you say?"

Kazuki snorted. "You'll never stop, will you?"

"Not in a million years. Answer?"

She blankly looked at him, though she could taste vomit creeping up her throat, she remained composed. "How many times have you asked me that same question?"

"I haven't kept track, but I reckon that it's a lot."

"And what has been my answer from the beginning?"

"Plenty of nos, that's for sure."

"What are you expecting from me now?"

"A possible yes."

"What if I say, that ain't gonna happen?"

"Well, then I'd run away whimpering my head off like a battered mutt with my tail hiding between my hind legs. Seriously, babe, what do you take me for?"

"A very persistent fool." She grinned.

"You're highly amusing, did you know that?"

"Of course, what do you take me for? An idiot?"

"Nah. A chick that digs jocks. C'mon Ginji, don't want to disrupt a sweet couple's moment together."

Confused, Ginji and Kazuki turned to where Ban was eyeing the impending figure.

"Oh. Him. Okay… uh… see you later?" Ginji lightly chuckled and nodded at Ban.

"Wait—" But was unable to defend herself as Ban and Ginji sprinted along the empty hallway and was soon out of sight. _Damn him!_

"Kazuki!"

"Toshiki! Hi."

"How's my girl doing?"

"Your girl?" Kazuki raised a brow and pretended aggravation.

Toshiki's speeding heart slowed to a near stop and was stuttering, "Well, you're my best friend, of course. You're practically my girlfriend. Right?" Saying this, he blushed.

"Point taken." She smiled and shut her locker. "Sorry, but I have to go. Meet you later at lunch?"

"Absolutely."

She softly giggled as she elegantly strolled to her classroom's direction, causing admired stares to observe her every move and curve.

Her gorgeous face often melted and crushed many guys' hopes of ever experiencing a night's romance with a lady such as herself. Not even the ever so tempting Mido Ban was able to thaw her stubborn heart. Though some have still attempted to win her heart over, this was the Fuchoin Kazuki everyone has grown to love and know—Shinjuku High's Ice Princess.

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"Hey girls. Natsumi? Why the long face?"

Without glancing at Kazuki, Natsumi sadly replied, "I failed in my English test. I just know it. I can feel it in my bones."

Hevn shook her head and somberly looked at Natsumi. "Girl, the results haven't come out yet. You're overreacting. Again!"

Kazuki placed her tray on the table and sat between Chloe and Natsumi. "There, there. I'm sure you haven't failed entirely. A D-plus perhaps?"

"That's so close to F!" Her face crashed on the table and she mumbled, "Guess I have to arrange my death note once I get home."

Chloe played with her distinctive silver tress and grinned. "There are still more tests coming your way and I'm sure you'll be able to score an A next time. Add a lot of hard work and a little help into the study mix… voila!"

"Little help?" Natsumi muttered.

"We'll help you."

"We will?" Hevn almost dropped her nail polish and peered at Chloe with a questioning look. "Right… help. But when I have a date, no interruptions."

"What kind of friend are you?"

"A drop-dead gorgeous and sexy one."

Chloe rolled her green eyes and spotted Toshiki coming their way. "Boyfriend's coming, Kazuki."

"He's not. We're just best friends."

"Kazuki, I thought we're eating together."

"We are. Just hanging with my pals. See you girls later." Standing up, Kazuki walked with Toshiki to a vacant table at the far corner.

Chloe then said, "They look cute together."

"Cute, but not beautiful."

"What's the difference?"

'They don't click. And good thing the feeling isn't mutual."

"You're cruel."

"Is there something new? Anyway, you did say it yourself, cute."

"So? Who cares?"

"I do. Let's stop for now because I believe that Drama Queen here needs a lot of TLC."

Natsumi straightened and beamed at her friends. "You guys would really help me?"

"Of course," Chloe assuredly said, and hugged her friend. "You really are a Drama Queen."

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**needlepointgroundzero: **Hello! Long time no chat, huh?

**goldenstrings: **Got that right. I missed you!

**needlepointgroundzero: **Me too:D

Jubei's heart was drumming swiftly and he was breathing rapidly as well, his palms were damp with sweat and nervousness. He didn't know why was he so edgy about this particular girl. They've been chatting for a year and slowly evolved to good friends through the net. They were a million miles apart; he lived in New York, while she claimed to have lived in Japan.

As he typed the ultimate question that could either ruin or expand their friendship, sweat trickled down his forehead.

**needlepointgroundzero: **So… mind sending me your pic?

She nearly jumped from her seat when she read his message. She knew that she couldn't trust this guy, even if he sounded nice. Stories have passed her ears, telling her that she should remain suspicious about meeting people via internet. It was already risky to tell the guy her name and place. What more sending a picture of herself? No way.

But before she realized what she was doing, Kazuki had already sent one of her favorite photos.

**goldenstrings: **There, I sent it.

**needlepointgroundzero: **Ahh… got it.

Jubei almost squealed with joy. He hurriedly opened the file and waited as the computer displayed the most exquisite face he'd ever seen in his life.

Dark brown hair framed her clear, innocent face, brown eyes smiled at him, and she was with a guy. The picture was almost flawless. With Mt. Fuji standing majestically behind them, with her delicate fingers curling a silky wisp of hair and her head playfully slanted to the side, a guy… a guy stood beside her. His reddened face said it all. Tied back in a ponytail, his blonde hair was the same color as the scorching sun, and sparkling green eyes made Jubei moan with worry. Not to mention that his muscular form was posed next to Kazuki's slender figure. It was too much for him.

Nervously, he typed her another bold question.

**needlepointgroundzero: **Is he your boyfriend?

_Please say no. Please be a no. _

**goldenstrings: **No.

_Success! _

**goldenstrings: **He's my best friend. :)

_Shit! _

**needlepointgroundzero: **That's what they all say…

**goldenstrings: **You implying I'm a liar?

**needlepointgroundzero: **What? No! I just… well… think… he's good-looking. But I'm not gay! I'm just saying that you two look good together.

**goldenstrings: **lol

**goldenstrings: **He's just a friend and that's a promise.

For some reason, his fast-beating heart slowed a bit and subconsciously he typed,

**needlepointgroundzero: **You're beautiful.

Kazuki unknowingly blushed and shook her head.

**goldenstrings: **How flattering of you. Nywayz, send me your picture.

**needlepointgroundzero: **No prob.

He rapidly searched for a handsome picture of himself to impress her, and in no time, found it. _Please make her drool. Please make her drool. _He squeezed his eyes shut, crossed his fingers, prayed to God, and clicked "Send."

Unintentionally, Kazuki's jaw fell open and her cheeks pinked. He was… hot! Sure, she met a lot of hotties, but he looked different, in a way. His steely eyes stared at her, his brown hair half-concealed his blue shades, and his unsmiling lips appeared so alluring, so delicious to kiss. His tan complexion suited him and his lean build made her mouth water. The image was nearly perfect, if it weren't for the girl hugging him from behind.

Her golden-brown hair flowed down his bare chest and her smile was so gentle, almost motherly under the baking sun that she found herself swallowing a lump down her throat. She then hesitantly asked,

**goldenstrings: **She your girlfriend?

Jubei inwardly laughed. _Got ya. _

**needlepointgroundzero: **Older sister. Ain't she something?

A knock sounded on the door. Jubei yelled, "Not now! I'm busy!"

Sakura stormed in and said, "Time's so up. My turn."

"Can't you see that I'm in a subtle position here. Now buzz off… for a minute."

"Mmmm…. Yeah. You're _really_ busy…. Chatting! Now scoot 'cuz you're done."

"No way!"

"Yes way. I've been waiting for five minutes and now, it's seven. Now skedaddle."

"Make me."

"All right." She moved toward the PC and turned it off.

Jubei shot up, paying no mind to the fallen chair, and exclaimed, "Why the hell did you do that!"

"Because it's my turn. Now, out!"

"You could have waited."

"I'm tired of waiting. Do you mind?"

"Keep doing that, you'll break the computer, Dumbo."

"What did you call me?"

"Dumbo. Look, can't you give me a few minutes to tell her that my extremely rude sister barged in without my consent and stupidly shut down the computer?"

"Stupidly?" Sakura snorted. "You think that I'll allow you to use the IM after calling my act idiotic? Dream on, grandpa."

"Suit yourself. I won't leave until I tell her. You know me."

"Unbelievably, yes. Fine. One minute."

"Okay. Could you stay outside for a while?"

"No, I'm staying."

"You—" He stopped because he knew there was no point in arguing with her. Big sisters always had the last word.

As soon as he explained to Kazuki his sudden disappearance and briefly explained to her his unbearable situation, he frustratingly signed out and stomped out of the room.

Sakura smiled and signed in her IM.

**pinkblossom23: **Glad you're in. XD

**wizardx: **Ditto. :P

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You like? No? Review! XP

Author's Note: In case you people are wondering about my characters' role, lemme make it all clear to you guys…

**Chloe** is actually Clayman. She doesn't have a name, so I made it up.

In this story, **Kazuki's** a girl. But if you feel offended, then I suggest you should stop reading this any further.

**Teshimene** is not Ginji's foster dad. Made it up.

**Mido Shin**, Ban's dad, made him up.

Kazuki's mom, **Kaiko**, made her up.

I believe that's all for now. Remember, this is a completely AU fic and a production from my weary and confusing head. Hope you guys enjoyed this! Ja ne for now…

To be continued…


	3. Search for nothing

Disclaimer: Man, do I have to keep repeating this? I don't own Get Backers, though I very much want to. Tee hee… :D

Enjoy!

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"Akabane residence. Kurodo at your service."

"Why didn't I see you at school a while ago?"

"Ah… Ban. So glad to hear from you… again."

"Cut the chit-chat and spill."

"Of course. Decided to take a day off, that's all. I'm so bored these days. Missed me?"

Ban snorted. "As if. You have anyone free for me?"

"Oh? Kira's not working for you?"

"Nah." Ban unconsciously rubbed his formerly burning cheek. "So, do you?"

"Yeah. Me."

"Har, har. Not."

"Kidding. Can't say I have."

"Forget it. Just got dumped by Kazuki again anyway. I'm wallowing in my pool of misery."

"Puh-lease. Your head's too big to allow self-pity to take over."

"How flattering," Ban said sarcastically. "You coming this Friday night?"

"Sure. Your place?"

"Actually, I was thinking perhaps we could try something different for a change."

"How different are you proposing?"

"How does ghost-hunting sound?"

"Interesting. Why the sudden change?"

"No reason. So, you up for it?"

"I'm guessing you're interested in the famous Kudo Mansion, huh?"

"Maybe. Wanna check it out, see if the rumors are true."

"Rumors are true, according to a classmate of mine. He and his buddy had been there once and have claimed to have seen the ghost."

"Really? Who's he?"

"Kagami Kyoji. Know him?"

"Who doesn't? Pretty boy, sight of him makes me sick."

"No competition?"

"Partly, yes. A guy would kill for that dreamy face. Anyway, his offhand smirk creeps me out."

"Yeah? Ladies would start a catfight for his attention."

"What happened to my dazzling face?"

"Mmm… probably sick of it."

"Ah… he's your type?"

"Nah, far from it. Do the others know about your plan?"

"Not yet. You gonna be present tomorrow?"

"I'll think about it. Oh. Gotta let you go now."

"Whatever. Night."

"Sweet dreams."

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"What! You serious?" Emishi automatically leaned forward, his chin resting on Shido's shoulder.

"Keep it down, you dimwit. You want the entire class to hear us?" Shido cautiously peered over his shoulder and asked, "Why do you want to do this, Ban?"

"Dunno, just sheer curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Fingers danced professionally on the keyboard as Makubex momentarily looked up from the screen.

"Look, I only asked you to search for data, not to philosophize me. You done?"

"Almost."

"Now, who's up for this Friday's exploration to the paranormal?"

"Do you need to ask? I'm definitely in," Emishi cheerfully declared.

Shido, Makubex, and Akabane merely nodded. When Ginji didn't utter a word, they questioningly turned to him, who was now warily looking at them.

"What?" Ginji bit his nails as he toyed with his pen.

Ban mildly shook Ginji, asked, "You scared?"

"No! Of course not! Why would I be afraid of a gho—" Emishi interrupted him by slapping a hand over his mouth.

Ban noticed Ginji's pale face and impassively said, "If you're really scared, we're not forcing you to come with."

When Emishi released him, Ginji languidly shook his head. "No, I'm going, but ah… just don't leave me behind."

He couldn't help it. Besides slimy bugs, one of his greatest fears included dark places, especially when it held floating, dead people. As soon as Ban told them his plan, he didn't say anything. He was frigging scared of the spooky mansion and its so-called spectral resident. That was why he always detested the idea of walking past the Kudo mansion. But what can he do when his courageous pals preferred the shortcut? Nothing.

Akabane laughed and said, "No wonder everybody who knows you has easily grown attached to you. You never fail to amuse us, Ginji. Specially me."

Ginji lightly smiled at Akabane. "Ah… thanks. I guess."

"He's right, you know," Ban said. "Though I sure can't wait to see your face once we get there."

Ginji groaned, said, "There you go again. Scaring the pants off me. Why do you always enjoy picking on me?"

"Simple. Gullibility."

"Got it." The boys suddenly hovered behind Makubex and glanced at the laptop's luminous screen.

"The mansion was owned by the Kudo family. Says here, the parents died 10 years ago, leaving two children behind," Makubex declaimed the parents' basic info, from their names to their rather unexpected line of work. He then added, "No will has been stated and no living relative was entitled to care for them. And… strangely, that's about it."

"That's it? What about the two kids? Anything on them? Name? Date of birth? Something?" Ban asked.

"Let me check." Makubex immediately got back to work as the rest of the gang waited, pondered on this baffling matter.

"What's so strange? Isn't that enough?" Emishi, out of the blue, asked.

"No, it's definitely not." Akabane tipped his hat lower and continued, "That's already the government's file. It's very vague, incomplete about the Kudo children. They should have the complete data on the kids as well. But this resulted to nothing. It's as if they've never existed from the beginning."

"Ah-hah! Here it is. There's a hospital record on a Kudo. If I could just hack into this file, we might have a lead on them. Just give me a few minutes," Makubex said as he focused on the fast-paced delivery of data being disgorged by his portable contraption.

"This is getting weirder by the second. Come to think of it, I only asked Makubex to find any news about the _ghost's _past, while _it_ was still alive. And now, wow. This is starting to get real complex," Ban said as he stared at the blinking screen.

"But Makubex has already found the hospital record on a Kudo. What could be weirder than that?" Ginji, along with Shido and Emishi, turned to Ban.

Akabane answered the question for him. "I believe that the hospital record isn't shown in the previous file, obviously, which should have been, especially when it's connected to the car accident that killed the parents."

"Right. Something's wrong here." The boys were too concentrated on the "Kudo Investigation" that they were unaware of Kazuki approaching them.

"Hi, guys."

They jumped at Kazuki's uninvited presence. Clutching his chest, Ban hastily asked, glared at her, "What are you doing here?"

Pleased by the shock she just caused, Kazuki's head tilted to the side. "You boys are my friends and I was just going to inquire about this Friday night's proposition." She raised a brow. "What are you hiding from me?"

Ban sighed and turned to Ginji. "She's your cousin, fill her in."

Ginji nodded, walked toward her. As he told her everything, Makubex quietly informed the guys that he finally cracked the hospital's security codes and found the file.

"Kudo Himiko. Six years old when brought into the ER of Shinjuku General Hospital, taken in at approximately 11:39 p.m. Cause of immediate attention was fractured leg: the nerves were severely damaged, causing dislocated leg, and few stitches were sewn on her arms and back. After a year and a half's recovery, she was released on October 7, 1998."

"Who paid?"

"Kudo Yamato, her brother."

"Anything on him?"

_Click. Click. _"None at the moment. But found a picture of the sister. Here."

Everybody huddled around the desk and waited till the picture was clearly developed. Lying on a hospital bed was a sleeping girl with tousled mass of green hair, her ashen profile faced them, bandages masked her wounds, and tangled straps suspended a cast that enclosed her leg. Beside this was another photo. It displayed a glowing young girl with lustrous green hair that enticed her pretty feature, purple eyes shone with amusement, her clear, dusky complexion seemed so alluring to stroke, and her lips sketched an everlasting smile.

For a picture that was shot ten years ago, Ban felt like he was standing on a ledge, deciding on whether to fall into the continuous pit of fondness and lust, or simply walk away, keeping his unruffled exterior. He chose equanimity. If he chose otherwise, he could be crushing on a dead girl. But then, he remembered the feeling he felt when he always passed the mansion. Could it be?

Shaking his head, he asked Makubex, "Her bro?"

"Nothing."

"But they should have something on him since he paid the bills."

"I've checked. Nada. Poof. Gone. It's a miracle that I found this, or rather, this hasn't been erased, yet."

"Erased?" Kazuki asked.

"Of course," Ban mumbled. "The accident was the root of the Kudo anonymity. It only presented the data about the parents and the accident itself. But none was mentioned about the kids' existence, which undoubtedly should have been because the parents had been working for the government. Someone is trying to erase the children's past; otherwise the government would have detected the intrusion."

"How do you know that the government hasn't been paying close attention to the hacker?" Ginji queried.

"Because I would have known. My computer can sense if I've been discovered or if someone else was caught. I created the program," Makubex affirmed.

"This is starting to scare me. Could it be… that the government killed them? Then erased their kids' past?" Ginji asked.

"We can't say it's true. Mmm… Akabane, you did say that Kagami was once a classmate of Kudo Himiko in elementary, right?"

"That's right."

"Extend your bond. If possible, flirt with him, I don't care. Make him talk. I want answers on this girl and her apparently non-existent brother. Got it?"

"Demanding. Want me to bring him to your place and do it the way they did on T.V.?"

"You know that I hate him. Guy gives me the gooseflesh. Chat with him and tell us what you've learned, okay?"

"On it." Akabane hurriedly left the buzzing classroom.

When every known fact about the Kudos was stuck in her head, Kazuki asked, "Why so interested, Ban?"

"Call it a hunch."

"A hunch? How so?"

"What's up with you and questions nowadays?" Ban shrugged. "Well, to answer your never-ending query, it's because I suppose that we're not just dealing with a ghost here. Could be the two siblings are still alive, I'm not certain. Maybe they're still living in the mansion until this very day, I don't know. I only want to find out what really happened to them, their puzzling disappearance, their past, whatever. We're practically playing detective here, babe. And it's entertaining."

"That's impossible. No one has been spotted leaving or entering the place. There's not even any sign of movement or light signaling a presence over there."

Ban rubbed his chin, then quickly turned to Makubex. "Can you hack into the Power Plant's file this time?"

"Easy. Why?"

"Look for anyone under the name Kudo or if bills were recently paid from the manor."

"No problem."

"You're confusing me, Ban."

"I've always been a confusing guy, babe." Ban flashed a wide grin at Kazuki, making her shiver.

"Not to mention insufferable," she muttered. She glanced at the room's clock and sighed. "Gotta go, boys. Lunch break's almost up." As she strolled to the classroom's front door, Ban went to the other door, swung it open, and leaned on the doorway.

"So… I'm on it, huh?" Arching his brow and hiding a smirk, he crossed his arms.

Akabane fought not to smile and said, "Class starts in seven minutes, won't have enough time to flirt with him. You know that it needs a lot of time and research."

"Uh-huh." Ban grinned and said, "Well, now that you've most probably eavesdropped on my brief chat with the guys, scat before your teach blows off steam from his ears again."

"Catch you later."

Ban slid the door shut and sauntered to Makubex's station. "Got it yet?"

"Yup."

"Well?"

"Unbelievably, electricity and water bills were all paid in advance. And what's more surprising is that the total balance costs more than a million Yen. Someone is really consuming a lot in that place."

"Interesting." Ban rubbed his chin thoughtfully when Ginji interrupted him.

"Ban?"

"What?"

"This isn't just a ghost we're dealing with, huh?"

"No. Why?"

"It's just that… suddenly, it seems creepier than a mere ghost."

Ban slowly turned to Ginji. "You know what? You're right. It does sound creepier."

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You like? No? Review XD

Again, lemme remind you guys that this an AU fic, so don't be too surprised about the sharp turn of traits my characters are heading to.


	4. And so, it begins

Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own Get Backers:P

Enjoy!

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The trees hovering above their heads swayed with the winds' dance, whistles, and moans, grass flattened by their fake-leather footwear laid restlessly beneath them, and the tips of their strands stung their eyes. Kagami's mocking smirk may have aggravated Akabane, but he knew better than to let this pompous lad crawl under his skin. He wanted to rip Kagami's offensive eyeballs out, but he knew if he did that, Ban would certainly throw a terrifying fit at him. So, as always, Kurodo Akabane had played it cool. Real cool.

"Didn't expect Ban's hound to meet me at this hour." Kagami brushed his stubborn locks aside and humorlessly chuckled at Akabane's lopsided smile.

"Hound sounds kind of discriminating. Try friend. Sounds better, don't you think?"

Kagami amusingly stared at Akabane's stern violet eyes and said, "I see you haven't changed, know-it-all."

"I could say the same thing to you, you arrogant jackass." Akabane tipped his hat lower to hide a smile from shaping his somber façade.

"So, why'd you call me to meet you out here, in the school's backyard, huh?" Kagami's cocky grin nearly propelled Akabane into digging out his Swiss knife and scar that pristine face of his.

Since Junior High, Kagami has been nothing but a relentless virus implanted in Akabane's already goaded head. Same as Ban's subconscious sentiment, he loathed Kagami, to the extent of suppressing the driving force of plunging his handy knife into Kagami's eye socket.

Oh. That would surely offer him a gory satisfaction. For starters, he was never squeamish over perceiving blood leaking out of someone's flesh. In fact, it aroused him, sending him into a sweaty orgasm.

He was fully aware of his morbid and unusual yearn for blood. But he supposed that he couldn't stop it since it could have been part of his DNA construction from the beginning of the fertilization process; he desired the color of blood, the scent of it filling his nose, its fluid feel trailing on his tingling, pale skin.

Shaking his head, Akabane said coolly, "Let's just say that I only wanted to refresh old memories, for old times' sake."

"Refresh old memories, huh?" Kagami rubbed his cheek pensively, looked up at the sky, stared at the oppressive grey clouds. "Do you remember the time when I spread the rumor about you being gay, and everybody falling for it?"

Akabane's hand stiffened for a moment but let it pass. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I haven't forgotten about it, mind you. Girls had ignored me during our younger years, and some of them still do." He glanced at Kagami's slanted profile and added, "You've always enjoyed spreading untrue assertions about people and never even thought of the feelings you've marred. You're such a hypocritical sadist."

"I know. I see there's still a spark of blame that's beginning to engulf your smug face." Out of the corner of his eye, Kagami caught Akabane's uneasy shift of movement, watched him inch closer.

Akabane hollowly giggled. "You haven't changed one bit. But I have a rumor about you as well."

"Oh?" Kagami turned to face Akabane. "What could that be?"

"You had a major crush on the Kudo's ghost, didn't you?" Akabane immediately spotted Kagami's hand jerk. _Strike one. _

"Kudo ghost, huh? Where'd you get that from?"

"Don't lie to me, jackass. I have connections and you know it. Plus, you were babbling about sneaking into the mansion and seeing the ghost all week. You're such an amateur showoff. If you want more unnecessary proof, I have witnesses if you'd like, in case you're planning to take your word back."

"You preparing to be a lawyer someday?" Kagami glared at Akabane for a short moment, sinuously brushed his locks aside, and smiled. "But you said it yourself, it's just a rumor."

"Oh? Then tell me, why are your legs shaking and you're profusely sweating your head off? Mind explaining that to me?" _Strike two. Just a little more. _

_Damn you. _"Don't base your assumptions on what you're observing. It's not solid evidence. Besides, what are you trying to get here, huh?"

"Why are you painstakingly defending yourself?"

"Because you're jumping into hasty suppositions." Kagami's pale face reddened.

"I only want answers from the past that may have something to do with the present. You knew her, including her brother, most probably. What do you have to hide from me?"

"She's dead. I saw her ghost. Why do you need answers from the dead?"

"Apparently true. But don't you ever wonder why her ghost has been roaming about the mansion and haunting people? Perhaps it's because she feels so unjust, so empty?"

Kagami felt chilling sweat trickle down his back, his armpits, his face. _What the hell's up with him? What is up with all these bullshit questions? _He snorted agitatedly, retorted, "Why? What has Ban ordered you to do?" Anger rose in his voice and his smile had long vanished.

"This has nothing to do with him." Satisfied, Akabane grinned. "This matter is only between you and me. Now, will you tell me about Kudo Himiko's past or not?"

"Why do you want to fuckin' know?"

"I'm nosy, I want to know about these sort of things. Got a problem with that?"

"Yeah. You and your nosy questions." Kagami glared at Akabane and said, "This is stupid. I've got more important things to deal with, rather than talk with you about ridiculous issues." He knelt down, grabbed his backpack, and started off when Akabane seized him by the shoulder.

"You probably loved her, you possibly teased her to earn her frustrated attention, and you blamed yourself for it. Remember, it was the past. There's simply nothing you can do about it."

Kagami dropped his bag and tousled his hair. "What are you now, a mind reader?" Kagami noisily sighed. "Answer me first. What would you do if you've discovered more about her from me? It certainly won't bring her back."

Akabane shrugged, then replied, "True. But releasing yourself of your familiarity with her, don't you think that would alleviate your nerve-racking nostalgia of her?"

"No. You're lying. And why do you care about my psychological mechanism anyway? You hate me."

"Fine. Here's the truth." Akabane took a deep breath and said, "Hearing your story, I've been inspired to check it out personally. Since you know me so well, you should know that before I indulge myself into performing the dirty work, I look at the known or likely facts before initiating anything. And since you knew her, you're the only available answer key here. You satisfied?"

Kagami didn't say anything. With his eyes focused on Akabane's amused face, he knew it was a lie. "Ban sent you," he said curtly.

Akabane knew that he could deceive Kagami no more. "You could say that I volunteered to look into it personally, socially."

"Socially, my ass. You're a scum." Kagami began to walk away with his bag slung over his shoulder, when Akabane said, "You're a wimp."

Kagami abruptly turned to him. He threw his sack aside and stomped toward Akabane, jammed a finger on his chest. "You think you know everything, don't you? You think you can pick me selectively and brand me as a walking Encyclopedia? Well, before you make assumptions, let me make it clear to you first."

Frustration evident in his tone, he sighed. "Weeks after her accident, she stopped talking to anyone, specifically me. But I've been trying all I can to cheer her up, but it just made her more impetuous. One day, she suddenly disappeared. She never again showed up, not in school, malls, not even the grocery store. She just vanished. Same thing with her irritating brother. Hates me, I tell you. Always gives me the stink-eye when I come over to their place. I was only kidding about her accident and she always makes a huge deal out of it. Everybody was only kidding, didn't really mean it." He limply dropped his hand and turned.

"Some say she committed suicide, others say she left the country, never to return again. I actually don't know. But all I know is, she's pissed at me. I saw her ghost, and that's the truth. I must have drove her to profound misery, sent her into a trench of darkness, anger, sadness. She was very sensitive, too sensitive for anyone's good. I blamed myself, blamed her, blamed everyone. Hell, it drove me insane. I had to make an appointment with an impractical, go-by-the-book psychiatrist. Didn't even help me. I was responsible for bringing myself back. Me. No one else but me." Kagami grabbed a fistful of his hair, and then numbly dropped his hand. "I loved her. I did, but she's dead and I hate her for that." He walked to the side, picked up his pack. "I believe that answers it. She's dead, and it's all because of my inconsiderate big mouth and actions, I guess. I should have known, but I must have been too blinded by conceit."

Kagami sauntered off, then stopped. "This better not go anywhere. I don't frickin' care about the past, but I don't want to hear it go round the campus. Got it?"

"Well, you'll just have to forgive and forget 'cuz there's nothing you could do to change it. So, live with it." Akabane followed Kagami's path and halted beside him. He noticed Kagami shaking involuntarily, noticed his clenched fists. "Maybe you were right about the hound part. Catch you later."

When Akabane was halfway to the school's gate, he faintly heard Kagami's furious bellow. _Strike three. You're out. _

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Ban concluded his conversation with Akabane via phone when a knock hammered on his room's door.

"What?"

"How dare you rudely question your mother? Open this door, young man."

Ban rolled his eyes and strolled to the door to disengage the lock. When his back faced her, she hastily asked, "Where do you think you're heading out again? You just got here."

Scanning his Levis, white sweatshirt, running shoes, and stuffed backpack, she walked toward his bed and settled on its edge. "Hun, what's happening to us? We're drifting apart and lately, I've really missed you. Do you not love us anymore?" Tears brimming, she daintily pulled out her ornate hanky and wiped a single tear away.

Ban sighed, snatched another T-shirt from his closet. "Mom, you're throwing your emotional fit again. It ain't cute. Besides, I'm not staying for dinner, just picking up some extra clothes and a couple of handy stuff." As he heard his mom's intensifying sob, he wearily rubbed his face and turned to her. "Thanks for your concern, mom, but I'm good. No need to worry about my welfare. And in case you've forgotten, I'm ah… compelled to go to dad's party. So I'll be back soon."

She rose, mildly touched his cheek. "Ban… I… uh… understand." She, with difficulty, smiled and said, "But there's one more thing I should protest about your lunatic frolics."

Ban whirled, dumped his flashlight in his sack. _Here we go again. _

Miaka breathed in deeply and said, "Stop dating sluts. They don't suit your lifestyle, our lifestyle."

Ban tiredly turned to her and retorted, "They're not sluts. They're just spontaneous girls who crazily fall for my impressive looks and charisma. Slut is too degrading, mother dear. And rich types are too garish for my liking."

"Don't lecture me, and I still think they're sluts. Plus, your friends are so… so… lowly. Why do you keep hanging out with them?"

"Because I enjoy their company. Now would you please stop? You're beginning to annoy me, and I gotta go."

Thunderstruck by his dismissive tone, she slapped him. Scolding him, she plopped on his bed and replied angrily, "You're always ignoring me, and your father. Why can't you see that I only want the best for you? I love you so much, but… but you don't seem to return our love." She rubbed her wet cheeks with her hanky.

Ignoring his reddened cheek, he turned to her, said, "I have to go. My friends are waiting for me." He sauntered to the door, but stopped when she called out to him.

"There's something else."

"What now?" He flung his bag and rested his fists on his hips. He despised himself for being unable to express his love for his parents, but they were frequently irritating him. How can he return their gesture if they won't understand his plain desires? He merely wished for independence from his domineering parents.

"You're getting engaged."

She winced at his yell. She shook her head as she watched him throw a frightening spasm in front of her.

"I'm frigging engaged! How can you do this to me! How! Why!" Eyes bulging, he angrily stared at her.

"Not yet. Your dad and I are thinking about it—"

"Well, stop 'cuz my answer's no! No! No! No! Got it?"

"No."

Cursing loudly, he grabbed his bag and was crossing the doorway when his mother called out to him once more. "Would you please listen first?"

He hesitantly stomped to his bed and sat far from her. "What?"

"Your father's supplier has always been observing you since kindergarten. You're a strapping young man, intelligent, a little bit too petulant, stubborn, and loud, but that doesn't matter here. She wants you to be his son-in-law, bearing in mind that we'll have closer business connections and beautiful grandchildren." She giggled at the thought but abruptly stopped when Ban glared at her. "I've met her daughter, and my, my, she's such a fine lady. She may be older than you by three years, but who cares? I know I don't."

When Ban didn't utter a word, she continued cheerily, "They're coming over from New York to meet you, to attend your father's grand festivity. The Kakeis are absolutely eager to meet you, Hun." She leaned closer, patted his knee. "Ban, please don't give us hell."

"I hate this damn family!" Before that remark was able to register in her head, he stormed out of the room and shortly, left the place. _How dare they do this to me? Engaged, my butt. Jeez! I'm never going to his party ever again! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

Miaka sadly watched his retreating form and snatched her cell phone. "We've lost him… again. What are we going to do, Shin? I'm worried that his thick skull would lead him to recklessness."

Approaching the end of their chat, she said, "I agree. He'll definitely listen to either Paul or Teshi. Okay, okay. Dinner's at seven, don't forget. Mmm… love you too, bye."

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"What! I'm engaged? You've got to be kidding!" Sakura ignored the overturned chair relaxing behind her. Her mother's temple was restlessly propped on the back of her hand, while Jubei lethargically chewed his meal.

"Sakura, please sit down so we may discuss this more sensibly. Okay?" Growing impatient by her daughter's hard stare, she sighed, got up, and shuffled to Sakura. "Baby, don't be mad. I—"

"Don't be mad? Don't me mad? What makes you think I won't be mad! I'm fuming!" Sakura didn't understand this. She didn't like it. How can her own mother do this to her? She may have been an obedient daughter, but she wasn't too submissive to allow her own mother to choose her forthcoming choices. She loved her mother, but this was too much to ask. She won't permit it. Never.

"Sakura, please." Kakei Tomoyo held her daughter's trembling shoulders, lovingly looked at Sakura's blazing gaze. "Sit down. Let me explain."

Dazed, Sakura numbly dropped to the floor. Enraged by her mother's implausible offer, she didn't look at her, didn't emit a single word.

"The Midos have been our business partners ever since your father's position as head of the company. Digital Fortress is nothing without us, Technospect, Inc. Before your father's illness had swiped him away, he has always wished for both our business connections to grow stronger for us to be able to reach the ultimate rank. I've finally concluded that if our youngsters have bonded through marriage, it would undoubtedly be the answer to reach our much-loved goal. Plus, it is to fulfill your father's death wish." Tomoyo patted her daughter's cheek. "Sa—"

Sakura interrupted her by slapping her mother's hand away. "You're so selfish! How can you solely think about our link with Digital Fortress, but not your daughter's dreams? Have you ever thought of that? Have you considered my feelings? My wants? My future? It greatly matters to me. I'm living this life, not yours or father's, bless his soul. I love you both, I've always obeyed your domestic commands, simple it may be. But never ever expect me to be your key to your dutiful aspirations." Sakura roughly rubbed her wet cheeks and continued, "I don't care if you ground me for the rest of my life. I'd rather die than marry an anonymous, egotistical brat!" She klutzily stood up, dashed to her room, and slammed the door.

"Sakura! Get back here! I'm not yet finished. Sakura!" Infuriated, she plopped on her chair and rubbed her temples to relieve her escalating headache.

After a long pause, Jubei queried, "So, where do they live?"

Still massaging her head, she replied unenthusiastically, "Japan."

Jubei's mouth fell, dropped his fork. "You're bluffing."

Tomoyo annoyingly looked up. "Does it look like I'm bluffing?" Seeing her ghastly appearance and red eyes, he said, "You're serious."

"Duh." Getting up, she said, "Clean up for me will you, kiddo. I'm too tired to wash the dishes."

"You haven't eaten anything."

"Good night." She stumbled up the stairs, mumbled something inarticulately.

Jubei shook his head, piled up the mottled dishes. _Kazuki. _Wide-eyed, he grasped his head in annoyance. "Damn! I forgot to ask her where exactly in Japan! Damn! Argh!"

While her brother was sulkily cleaning the table downstairs, Sakura was weeping. "Why can't she understand? Why? I don't want to marry someone I hardly know. Mother… why must you pain me so?" Her gaze gradually shifted to her desk. She stood up, went to it, and opened her drawer.

A smile drew her lips as she viewed his picture. Enclosed in a handmade picture frame was a captivating teen; electric-blue eyes made her shiver with delight, his smile excited her, and his silver hair made her grin like an idiot. Fourteen years of age, five years younger than her, Makubex was an interesting fellow. They've been chatting for three years or so, and the longer they chatter about themselves, the further she grew to love him. Smart, witty, charming, and incredibly cute, God, she was in love with this tot.

Then she remembered. Mido. Japan. Makubex. Hurriedly replacing her treasured item in her drawer, she quietly exited her room. She stealthily passed by her mother's room and into the computer room. Then and there, she signed in her IM. And to her quiet ecstasy, he was in, but only for awhile.

She speedily sent her greetings and inquiries about his well-being. Shortly after that, she told him her possible trip to his homeland.

Joy filling his heart, he gaily typed in his astonishment, his thrill, and nearly gave away his crave to tell her his deepest thoughts. _Oh, Sakura. My dream to eventually meet you is coming to an end. Or rather, the beginning to something more splendid, deeper than measly contact through cyberspace. _

**wizardx: **I can hardly wait:D

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"Everybody here?" Ban asked as he glanced at each of his friends' apprehensive yet animated expressions. Only Ginji was absent at the moment.

Cursing under his breath, Ban dialed Ginji's number. When he heard Ginji's ragged answer, he blankly said, "Hurry up." As he ended the call, he assured the rest that Ginji was on his way over.

Waiting for Ginji's arrival, Emishi somberly peeked at the bleak structure that is known as the Kudo Mansion. "Gee. I knew it looked scary, but not like the type that gives you the nerves. I can feel my body hair straightening." Emishi rubbed his moist hands together, seeking for warmth against the whistling wind's frosty bite.

After a few minutes of lingering beneath a bare oak, just outside the spotted gate's entry, Ginji jogged to Ban's side, bent over to gain his normal pace of breathing.

When Ginji straightened, Ban smirked, and patted his friend's shoulder. "Teshimene gave you a hard time?"

"Sorta. I bet he didn't believe me when I told him we're off to watch a flick. Just look at my outfit. Dad's too smart to fall for a word I just said." The gang scrutinized his matching jogging pants and shirt. Ban slapped his forehead, whereas the others fought the impulse to hold back their laugh.

"A monkey won't even fall for a word you just said," Ban smacked Ginji's head, then genially wrapped an arm around his friend's neck when he heard Ginji's exhausted moan. "Brought a flashlight?"

Slowly pulling away from Ban's grasp, Ginji fished out an earthy green flashlight from his bag, and lifted it up for everyone to see.

Ban superiorly nodded his head, said in a quiet tone, "So, what are we all waiting for? Let's go." He started off, daringly leading them as usual; his left hand rammed in his pocket while the other steered his trusty light.

Following from the rear were his friends. Hearing the ominous sounds of the night, Ginji cowered between Ban and Shido, Kazuki warily walked after Shido, Emishi followed her elegant stride, and Akabane, as always, preferred the back.

And so, it begins.

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You like? No? Review please:P

To be continued…


	5. Eerie charade

Disclaimer: I am so sorry for updating this fic so late… been real busy lately. (Having entrance exams dizzying me) But for my dearest readers… I've allotted some time to continue this fic of mine. Hope you'll like it, as well as the chapters that follow…

Oh, before I forget, I don't own Get Backers…

Enjoy!

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The air's chilling breath made their bodies cold with trickling sweat; their hair glued on their damp foreheads; the dreadful facade of the building made their teeth chatter mercilessly, causing them to saunter awkwardly toward the mansion. Every one of them suddenly wished that they never did attempt on discovering beyond the known and substantial truths of this enigmatic place. This was simply too spooky for anyone of them to handle calmly.

As Ban cautiously shuffled toward the towering manor, pieces of vague childhood memories fogged his mind. He scanned his bleak surroundings, squinted as bits of revelations revealed themselves to him. Ignoring his uncomfortable state, he abruptly stopped and mindlessly made his way to the disheveled lawn. He stared at the lawn, bent down to snatch a handful of grass, then his gaze shifted to the mansion's worn-out door. _This place. Why does it suddenly seem as if I've been here before? I… I don't understand. Kudo. Himiko. Yamato. They don't ring a bell… but this place. It's as if I've been here before._

Slightly surprised by Ban's unexpected move, Ginji called out to him. "Ban! Is there something wrong?"

Called back from his catatonic condition, Ban turned to the others, nearly blushed as they strangely looked at him. "Shut up, will you Ginji? In case you haven't noticed, we're trespassing, and that's illegal. Keep that up, some nosy neighbor might hear you and call the cops. You and your big mouth," Ban hissed as he stomped to the looming edifice.

Kazuki mildly tapped his cousin's shoulder. "Don't take his words seriously. You can see that something deep is goin' on his head now. Just give him some air, okay?"

Ginji smiled and patted Kazuki's hand. "Okay, couz."

"Look, if you two wanna share some sweet, intimate moments with each other right now, might I suggest that you two don't have to block the way and make me have to walk around you because my entire body is freezing, mind you," Emishi said, rubbing his hands together. He then looked irritated as Ginji and Kazuki, hand in hand, teasingly strolled along the rugged pathway.

"Huh… how I would give anything to have a babe to treat me like that." Emishi nearly drooled when a picture of Kazuki's picturesque figure gracefully inched toward him in his head. Shido rolled his eyes and smacked Emishi's head to transport him back to the present. "We're not here to dream, dream-boy. Now cut it out before I puke on your face."

"Euw… mind you, but the only day when I'm gonna puke is when I see you in my dream." With his head help up high, Emishi left an annoyed Shido beside Jackal.

"Shall we? Ban might get upset if we let him wait." Jackal tipped his black cap lower to block the rambunctious wind from drying up his pristine complexion.

"Whatever." Jamming his hands in his pockets, Shido left Jackal behind, mumbling something as he spotted Ban glaring at him. _What an arrogant hothead. _

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As Ban set one foot on the porch, the door involuntarily swung open, making him jump and swallow a scream. The rest of the gang saw it, felt their hearts sinking into their tummies as fear fiercely drove itself into their trembling core. Ginji almost made a sprint for it, but stopped himself. _No. _He wasn't going to run and leave the others behind. He would follow the plan; finish this till the end, no matter how pathetic he may appear. In fact, he too wanted to discover this baffling mystery concerning this _ghost_. Digging up the _ghost's _past, to find out the puzzle concerning this girl and her family. Yes, he would know the truth. He was just as curious as Ban and—

"Ginji!" Ban whispered when he saw Ginji's blank look. "What the hell is wrong with you today?"

"Huh?" Ginji bashfully scratched his head. "Oh nothing. Sorry. Were you saying something?"

"No. But don't do that gawk of yours. You're making me worried." Ban shook his head, and exasperatedly switched on his flashlight. Ginji smiled and did the same with his gadget.

Staring at the pitch-black foyer ahead, Ban warily clutched his throat with a shaking grip, and then slowly sauntered into the threatening, splintered threshold, his light unable to drive away the oppressive shadows. When Jackal finally crossed the dusty entrance, the door eerily shut itself. They abruptly turned around, unlocked fear sketched across their faces.

Though fearful of these strange happenings, Ban didn't want to show his anxiety. To divert his frightened attention from the uncanny door to somewhere else, he wearily scanned his surroundings with the aid of his flashlight.

All of a sudden, Ban realized his utter foolishness of being terrified beforehand when he noticed something odd about the place. He breathed in deeply and caught a scent of something that seemed incongruous about a haunted place such as this. This place didn't reek of archaic attributes. In reality, a small whiff of cologne wafted throughout the room. Looking down, he swept the grimy floor with his shoe, detected as a cloud of dust didn't tickle or irritate his nose, as it should have been.

"So, you've noticed it too." Jackal bent down beside Ban, and with his flashlight, scrutinized the noisy planks. With his index finger, he coated a thin film of dust on his finger and stood up. He scrutinized it for a moment, and then showed it to Ban. "Guess what it is."

Ban grabbed Jackal's wrist and observed it carefully. He even sniffed it for a while when the possibility hit him. Doubt overwhelmed him, but as he saw Akabane's grin, he said, "Flour."

"Bingo."

"Ban—" Ginji was about to dash toward Ban and Akabane when an outrageous bang was heard from above. Ginji quickly stopped and motionlessly stood still.

_Thud. Creeeaaaak. Thud. Creeeaaak. Thud. Creeeaaak. _They all jumped as it neared them from the second floor. _Thud. Creeeaaaak. Thud. Creeeaaak. _As they listened intently, as they waited, the haunting beat seemed to have immobilized them.

Emishi, with shaking fingers, patted Shido's stiff back, wheezed out, "Let's get the hell out of here."

Wide-eyed, Shido turned to Ban, and was vexed by Ban's indifferent reaction to this. Ban instantly saw Shido's frantic eyes and calmly tapped his foot on the dirty floor. Confusion still occupying his mind, Shido's brow twitched with uncertainty.

Aggravated, Ban whispered to Akabane, "Pass the word around before they all pee in their pants."

Holding back a chuckle, Akabane coolly strolled toward Ginji and the rest. As Jackal was approaching Ginji, the disturbing rhythm abruptly halted. The group suspiciously gazed at the gloomy staircase that was inclined before them. Suddenly, an eye-stinging flash of light momentarily impaired their eyesight. Moments later, unsure of their actions, they struggled to see the subject that was seemingly standing at the top of the stairs.

Ban saw it. He saw her. Quite adjusted to the bright light, he rubbed his eyes to convince himself that these were all real. The fake dust, the thudding sounds that nearly gave him a heart attack, the blinding light that had stung his eyes, he couldn't entirely believe that this girl—this ghost was actually standing there, staring at him with inexplicable contempt. Looking at her now, she appeared to be a cursed angel sent from above. The light that manipulated her figure, made her seem like she was a live apparition. He was almost entranced by her strangely familiar, beautiful countenance, when unexpectedly, he glimpsed her awkward shift of movement.

_What is he doing here? Why is he here? Why him? I couldn't… move. Aniki… help me. _Himiko felt her cheeks burning, and at the same time, felt utterly cold as she observed Ban's intense stare fixated on her. She almost stumbled forward, but luckily, her _good_ leg prevented her from completing the fall.

Yamato, with his left hand virtually strangling himself as he watched Himiko making a fool of herself in front of those meddlesome brats, cursed himself when he turned off the lights and activated the device that would trigger the flooring—where Himiko was approximately standing on—to descend into his underground lair and bring her back safely into his outstretched arms. He would scold her later for making an irreparable mistake, but for now, he was wholly focused on her wellbeing. _So much for the ghostly charade. _

You like? No? Review please! XD

To be continued…


	6. Dreams and Memories

By this time, I don't think I need to repeat the disclaimer statement yada yada yada… You already know that I don't own Get Backers whatsoever… So… there ya go.

Enjoy!

He was standing on the lawn of the Kudo mansion. However, his current surroundings were very peculiar now, instigating Ban to start aback. He initially observed the ground. The lawn was—neat. It was strange. In addition, when he _toured_ the manor earlier with Ginji and the others, he seemed taller. Now, the grass looked as if it reached past his knees. Shaking his head and keeping all his escalating fears intact, Ban shifted his gaze from the green lawn to the mansion. It was, oddly, beautiful. It was as if some ethereal being, in the twinkling of an eye, painted the walls of the once bleak house, transforming it into an actual chateau. Its flawless white color, perfectly green lawn, colorful flowerbed sitting by the porch, and birds—yes, chirping above him—it stupefied him. Everything confused him.

_What's going on here? What—what happened? Why am I here… alone? I…_ Then, he touched his face. Shocked, he took off his shades, and beholding it, it looked a lot bigger than before. It was exactly the same size as he wore it during his younger years. _Wait. That couldn't be…_ He noticed his hands. It was smaller, like a toddler's. At that moment, the revelation slapped him on the face. He was shrinking! _How could this have happened?_ Terrified, he nearly called out for his friends. But his shaking lips prevented him from summoning his pals. Just when he was about to make a dash for it, someone tapped his tiny shoulder. He screamed.

The voice was laughing. It was a girl's. "Whoa. You sure sound like a girl, Ban. That is, when you scream." He could still feel those soft, small fingers resting on his shoulder.

He turned around, and found… nothing.

Ban's eyes instantly popped open. Originally, his eyes were unable to adapt with the looming darkness. Dazed, he groggily sat up, closed his eyes, and smelled the room. Ah. Mannish chaos. Sweat mixed with moldy food. Though dilapidated, he absolutely loved it. With his worn, dirty clothes laid everywhere on the floor, with the walls peeling all round him—this was _the_ life.

Satisfied with his messy routine, he swung himself off the bed and strolled to the bathroom. Without switching on the lights, he emptied his bowel, washed his hands, and went back to bed. Before he closed his eyes, he remembered earlier's outing to the mansion. He recalled the events that had transpired just a few hours ago.

After having the bizarre encounter with the _ghost_, he knew it was a hoax. The flour, the camera lights, and the girl—more or less, she was still alive—it became clear to him that this Kudo was concealing something from the world. Or could it be that she was hiding herself from the busy life of the city and its inhabitants? That could be a possibility. He further contemplated.

His dream. It was nothing but a mystification to him. He fully reminisced the girl's voice. _"Whoa. You sure sound like a girl, Ban. That is, when you scream." _Her melodic giggle, it involuntary brought a smile to his lips. As he was on the verge of falling into slumber's darkness, he could still hear her calling him, laughing, tapping his shoulder, whispering his name, giggling. Then, he fell into slumber's comforting grip.

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"Ah… looks like you had a goodnight's sleep last night. Funny, I didn't expect you to be nightmare-free right after the you-know-what incident." Jackal observed Ginji's calm face and smiled.

"Well, after Ban-chan made it all plain and simple that the _ghost_ was not an actual ghost, I felt ludicrously foolish of almost wetting my pants while we were still inside." Ginji sheepishly scratched his head, blushed.

Makubex frowned. _God forgive me for what I'm about to say, but I just have to say it before I explode_, He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Damn, frickin parents! Why did God have to make their ears as keen as a dog's? Just when I was near the door, they, in God's name I'll never know, heard my shoeless footsteps and caught me creeping to the door!" Makubex nearly wailed in agony but crabbily continued, "Why? Why? And what the hell's up with the curfew blah blah blah? It's utterly, completely, wholly, certainly, absolutely brainless! Why are parents so unreasonable and bigheaded!" Makubex banged his head on the table.

"There, there, Makubex. I'm sure you'll have your moment when you're uh… a bit older." Kazuki reassuringly patted his back.

"Sure, older. As soon as he turns twenty, no doubt about it." Ban dropped his bag on his seat and wrapped an arm around Kazuki's slender neck.

Kazuki practically held back her breakfast from defiling his face, and merely glared at him. "I swear, if you don't recoil your arm, I'll throw up on your face. And oh, I'm not shy to admit that I ate onions for breakfast."

"Onions, ei? Mmm… have you tried making an omelet out of it? It's tasty. Maybe sometime, I could make one for you… you know, as a token of our cherished friendship." Ban leaned closer. Kazuki caught a scent of his minty breath and grimaced.

"Friendship? I didn't know we had that. I always saw you as a bratty, rich dude who has nothing else to do but delights in bullying and annoying people all the time. And, to my dismay, you're my cousin's friend. So, do you still think… there was ever a 'we', Ban? Because I can't say I noticed it."

Ban's brows furrowed. He then said jokingly, "You are one despicable woman. And, FYI, the only brat here is you. Giggling over _fan mail_, flirting with the jocks, even laughing while we're in the computer room. I could see your ears flapping when you're talking with Toshiki."

Kazuki shot up, slapped his smug face. "Jerk! I don't fawn over my love letters! I don't flirt with guys and I only burst into laughter just once in the classroom when Emishi accidentally slapped the teacher in the face with his flailing arms. I don't, DON'T flirt with guys, especially guys like you!" With that, Kazuki left a vexed Ban glaring at her. All eyes were originally focused on her, and when she disappeared into the hallway, everyone looked at Ban.

Ban grumpily sat down, said under his breath, "I was only joking. Sheesh! Can't she distinguish the difference between the truth and a joke?"

Ginji sat beside him, replied, "She can't. When it comes from you, she doesn't care if it's a joke or not. She simply dislikes you, Ban-chan."

"I see that, but hey, can't blame a guy for trying to make a girl laugh now can you?"

Ginji hesitantly shook his head. "Ban-chan…"

Ban waved his hand to discontinue Ginji's incoming lecture. He closed his eyes and immediately, he heard once again that sweet voice ringing in his ears. _"Whoa. You sure sound like a girl, Ban. That is, when you scream."_ He smiled. It was strange that he felt so ecstatic just by hearing her distant voice. It was downright peculiar. Still, he loved it. Luckily, Ginji was staring at Natsumi and was ignorant of Ban's maniacal grin.

Soon, the bell rang. But her voice still resounded in his ears.

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The sky was clear, a variety of birds sang pleasant tunes in the distance, the lawn was still wet from last night's shower, and he was gaily running after her. She screamed with thrill as he nearly tagged her. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock and fell on her arms. She didn't want to cry, but she did.

Panting, Ban ran to her side and knelt beside her. "Himiko? Himiko? You all right?" He looked so worried, scowled at the long gash on her leg and arm. "Come on, I'll bring you to Yamato." As he helped her up, she heard him utter, "That's for being clumsy."

Slightly offended, she stuck her tongue out.

"Don't be such a baby." Ban mischievously grinned at her.

"Am not!"

"Are to…"

"Am not! Stop it, or I'll tell Aniki."

"Blabbermouth," he whispered.

"You be quiet, booger-brains."

"That doesn't make sense." He held her as they awkwardly strolled to the front door.

"That's cuz your brains are made out of boogers. That's why you can't understand what I just said…. Booger-brains."

Ban smiled, shook his head.

As they were inches away from the porch, the door suddenly swung open, causing the hinges to break under the impact, and out came Ban's dad. He angrily detached Ban and Himiko's entwined arms and pulled Ban away.

Himiko fell to the ground, cried for Ban. She afterwards felt her mother's arms hugging her, her brother's voice consoling her, and saw her father shouting at Ban and his dad. She was so confused that she didn't understand a word they said. All she knew was that Ban was leaving the mansion, he was never coming back, and that was the last time she played with Ban.

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The warm tea soothed her parched throat. After gulping down half of it, she sighed with relief and delicately set the mug on the table. She was about to rise and get the cereal box from the cupboard when Yamato instantly stood up and strode to the cupboard to get it for his little sister.

She annoyingly sat down. "I can get it for myself, you know. I'm not a complete handicap wherein you'll have to wipe my ass whenever I need to poop. I can still walk, eat, climb the stairs, go to the bathroom, and get food from the fridge." She curtly grabbed the box from him and emptied some of the contents into her bowl.

"Yeah? Well, I'm taking extra measures this time. Why, you almost fell down the stairs last night!"

"That was the stairs. This is smooth, marble floor. It's not like I would trip over something."

"Course not. You'll slide all the way to the living room, that's what. Jeez, Himiko, I'm just so worried about you." His perceptive, emerald eyes made her feel rather guilty about last night's scheme. It was her fault, she knew. She shouldn't have let her emotions impede her. Never again would she commit that mistake. But then…

She sighed. "I dreamt about him again."

"Terrific. Were you finally eloping with him in Las Vegas?" His tone was sarcastic, and this made her even more irritable.

She blushed. "Aniki! No! Shut up, okay? Just hear me out." She finished her tea and asked, "Remember the day when they left and never again did they show up?"

Yamato slowly nodded, afraid of what was coming next.

"Why was Mido-san so mad that time?" Her purple eyes looked questioningly at him. He bit his lower lip, and after a minute's silence, said, "You're too young to know. You won't understand." Avoiding her fumed stare, he sipped his coffee.

Unable to control it, she shot up and slammed her fists on the table. "Aniki! I'm not a little child! Why are you always treating me like I'm five years old? It's not fair! Tell me! I'll understand."

She almost lost her balance, and this made Yamato's brows twitch. _Damn it, Himiko. You're just too sensitive to understand it all. Especially when… it was the Midos' fault that Mom and Dad died. And your accident, it's their fault as well. You'll never be able to run or walk properly anymore. And it's their goddamn fault! No… you're not yet ready for this._

"Please sit down."

"No!" Himiko just stood there. Her left leg began to ache, but she wasn't going to back down. Hell, she would stay like this even if it took her the whole night. Aniki was overreacting. She wouldn't scream like a raging psychopath. She wouldn't crumble into pathetic pieces just because of some hidden truth that was seemingly never supposed to pass her ears. She would find out, one way or the other. And now, she would get some answers. Answers that would explain Ban's disappearance.

"Why did Mido-san get angry? Why didn't Ban ever show up? Why? Did they have a huge fight? Why! Aniki!" Her knees almost buckled, but she leaned on the table, hoping that the table was sturdy enough to hold her weight.

"Himiko. Please, sit down. You know that your left leg's too weak to support your weight. Himiko—"

"I'll only sit down if you'll tell me," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm not stupid, Aniki. You're hiding something. Spill or I'll… I'll go to Ban." Saying his name nearly made her cry. She missed him. Her lips quivered as she reminisced their childhood days. _But_… _he forgot about me. I saw it in his eyes; he didn't recognize me. Ban…_

Yamato noticed her eyes welling up and quickly got up from his seat to reassure her. But as he was about to hug her, she slapped his arms away and pushed her chair to make way for her to escape the kitchen.

As she gawkily walked to the kitchen's swinging door, she looked behind her, gazed at Yamato's worried eyes. "I may be a cripple, but I'm not retarded to realize that something funny is goin' on here."

When she was gone, Yamato plopped on the seat and covered his face with his huge hands. Feeling miserable, he stared at her empty mug. _Mom. Dad. Himiko. I'll make them pay for what they'd done to you. I'll make them pay…_

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"Oh jeez… stupid alarm clock! I could have sworn that I switched it on last night. Oh man, please, please let the teacher ignore me. Oh shit!" He cursed when he accidentally bumped into a girl and her dog.

Ignoring his scattered books lying on the pavement, Shido hurriedly helped the girl and her dog. "You all right? I am so sorry that I hit you or whatever. I was in a hurry and—" He stopped when he noticed her glazed, dark eyes. Slowly, his gaze shifted to the smiling dog, and he almost punched himself for bumping into a blind girl. But he had to be thankful that her dog didn't bite him.

When she heard him stop, she smiled, and blindly dusted off the dirt from her skirt. "It's okay. It was only an accident. Um… what about your books? Someone might step on them if you don't get it soon."

Embarrassed, he knelt down to pick up his books and instantly stiffened when she too knelt down beside him and tried to help him with his things. He stammered, "No… no… please… I can… stop… I mean… don't help me… you… don't have to, I mean… uh…" She didn't pause but focused on the feel of his hardbound volumes and smooth paper.

He lightly touched her arms and blushed when she faced him. She wasn't directly looking at him but her face made his heart palpitate like crazy. Her hair was as black as his, but hers smelled like some fruity concoction that pleasantly tickled his nose, her glassy eyes were mesmerizing, and her pale complexion practically tempted him to touch her. She looked and smelled amazing that he wasn't able to say a word until he finally comprehended that she was asking him something.

"What?"

"I asked, what's wrong. Are you okay?" Her sweet voice caused bumps to form on his skin, and he blushed when she smiled at him.

"Ah… yeah… right… I'm so fine." He immediately grabbed his belongings and stood up. He then extended his arm to help her up.

When she was settled, he was grateful that she was blind; she wouldn't have noticed his severe stare on her. She looked so fragile, so naïve at that moment, he was nearly afraid that one scratch would shatter her into bits.

Shaking his head, he unknowingly said, "Nice dog."

She grinned and motioned the dog to near Shido. It obediently followed her gesticulated order and licked Shido's hand. Amused, Shido patted its soft head and asked, "What's his name?"

"Mozart."

"You like his music?"

"Very much. I even play it on my violin." Her face brightened as he began asking questions about Amadeus Mozart's remarkable pieces, and was even more pleased when she heard his tone of awe as she related to him about her concerts and passion for classical music. Though he wasn't enthralled by classical pieces, she admired his attempt to please her.

But she felt quite annoyed when Mozart nudged her, indicating that she'll be late for her appointment with her instructor if she wouldn't put a hold on their chitchat.

"I… I'm sorry, I have to go. I have an appointment with my violin teacher. Maybe… we can meet some other time?" She knew that it was reckless of her to initiate a friendly relationship with someone she bumped into in the sidewalk, but she knew that as long as Mozart didn't bite or growl at this guy, she was safe.

Slightly surprised and ecstatic, he hastily exclaimed, "Sure!" His surroundings were beginning to blur. She was the only clear vision, most beautiful image that was capable of making him mute.

Restraining a giggle, she asked, "Um… what's your name?"

"Huh? Name? Ah! Yes, Fuyuki Shido. I live at Uzi Street; second apartment to the right, brick red, and my room number's thirty-two on the third floor. You want my number? What's your number?" He reddened when he realized his idiotic discourse. "Uh… sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me today… must be cuz I'm late for school—"

He was interrupted by her surprised yelp and she said, "Oh dear. I'm sorry if I made you late. You go on ahead, I also got to go." She waved him goodbye and when she turned to go, she said, "The name's Madoka. I'll see you soon." She beamed at him and ran off with the guide of her dog.

As he arrived at school, he was so dazed on how he got there safely and was indifferent when the teacher gave him a detention slip for being an hour late. _Madoka. Beautiful. _

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Yamato was rudely awakened by the alarm. He glanced at his watch and read that it was already past four. What had he been doing the whole morning and afternoon? Sleep and eat as usual? He roughly went to his computer room, and when he saw the image, his blood boiled. _Mido Ban._

Since their little charade was over, he wouldn't bother Himiko, but walk straight to Ban—even if it risked his life—and give him a wallop that the brat would never forget. He quickly went to the elevator and punched the "UP" button.

However, blinded by rage, he forgot that Himiko had an alarm as well. When she opened the door to the room and glanced at the huge monitor screens, she was shocked to see Ban in the foyer. This time he was alone. Delighted yet uncertain, she slowly went to the elevator. She was baffled when she observed that Yamato was already on his way up. _Why didn't he call me?_ But seeing Ban again shoved the thought aside and she lightly pushed the button that commanded the elevator to come back down.

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So…. You like? No? Review please… 


	7. Friendship

Sorry again for taking so long to update… the computer went crazy on me. Thankfully, it's fixed and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Enjoy!

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With his long, pale fingers tracing teasingly on the dusted wall in the foyer, a flash of his childhood memory momentarily stunned him. Instead of looking beyond the grimy foyer, instead of observing the broken mirror hung above a mahogany table at his right side, instead of a tainted, chipped tiled floor under him, he saw an ornately carpeted floor in front of him, enwrapping the marble floor and stairway; cozy, extravagant furniture littered before the staircase; a tapestry decorated the right side, opposite of it was a lit fireplace; the mirror on his right was clear, detailed carvings of cherubs beautified it; the scent of lilies was prevalent around the room; and a boy's laughter, mingled later with a girl's mischievous giggle, filled the empty area.

Ban cautiously took a step forward. He tracked down the sound of their slowly diminishing voices, jogged when it was a faint whisper, and when he arrived at the side of the staircase, the voices were gone, along with the vision of the beautiful yet eerie picture of the possible appearance of the mansion years ago. Ban's shoulders sagged with disappointment. Why was it when he was near a revelation, it evaded him? Simply annoying.

Shaking his head, he stared at the wooden space of the staircase. Since the wooden stairway was in the center of the room, anyone could clearly see both sides of it. As Ban wondered why the voices came from this particular spot, he touched it, knocked on it. It was hollow.

He stepped backward and scrutinized the wood. Initially it wasn't obvious, but as he concentrated on it, an outline of a secret door appeared before him. Amazed but uncertain, he moved forward, was about to push it open when a _ting _sounded in front of him.

Puzzled, he inched back and cocked his head to the side. When the door opened, his eyes grew wide. Yamato, with clenched fists, flaming, green eyes, and gritted teeth, dashed toward Ban and punched him right on the nose.

Ban, shocked, wasn't able to dodge any of the huge man's blows. As the raving lunatic punched him repeatedly in the face and torso, as Ban stumbled on the hard floor and flour clouded his vision, Yamato breathed heavily and approached him; rage didn't escape him yet, and Ban was beginning to feel very uneasy.

He was about to speak, but was incapable when excruciating pain shot through his cracked, bleeding lips. Because of shock, while the guy was beating him up like pulp, he didn't feel any pain. But now, it felt like vultures eating up his flesh or fire engulfing his face and body. God, did it hurt. He moaned in pain and he lightly touched his bruised face. He yelped in agony when his left temple's flesh was slit open. Yamato snickered and said, "What's wrong, pretty boy? Worried that girls are gonna run away from you now that your face is a rotting mess? Ha! Egotistical brat!"

Dazed by the inconceivable sting on his visage, he shielded his face with his right arm. He was prepared for the next hit when a female voice sliced the overwhelming air.

Ban slowly opened his eyes, but it hurt immeasurably. Suddenly, numbness enveloped his entire structure; he couldn't feel anything. His head dropped to the floor and everything went dark. He could faintly hear the girl's frantic whispers, "Ban! Ban! Wake up! Ban.."

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He opened his eyes. The bright, overhead lights made him squint. He closed them again. Voices so distant that he couldn't comprehend their meaning. The empowering scent of perfume caused his nose to twitch uncomfortably. He subconsciously reached out for his shades. He felt them tenderly placed over his closed lids.

Satisfied, he opened his eyes. His mother, father, Mrs. Shinoda, the head maid, and Mr. Mamoru, the butler, stood around him. They looked solemn. _Weird. I only took a short nap and it's as if I was roused from a coma. _Confused, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Honey," His mom's fingers gently raked through his tangled hair. "There's been an accident. A very dreadful car accident."

Starting to feel anxious, Ban glanced at his father, who was avoiding Ban's inquisitive stare, Ban asked once again, "Who was hurt?"

Hearing this, his mother looked up at his father. Searching for answers on their grave faces, he was scared of hearing that gnawing, cruel reply his subconscious had somehow already informed him deep inside. _It couldn't be. No. Haha. What are you thinking of? It's not like she would be in a car accident. No way. Silly you. Stop imagining things, you fool. _Sometimes, having a vivid imagination could turn out to be a virus to anyone. Ban shook his head. His parents turned to him.

His mother then rested her hand on his shoulder. "Ban, I'm so sorry. But I'm afraid… Himiko…"

He didn't wait for it. "NO!" He shoved the sheets aside, jumped off the bed, ignored his mom's wails, and ran barefoot out the door. He didn't dare stop even when he could hear his mom screaming for him to return. He couldn't. He wouldn't. No. No. No. _They're just joking around with me. Playing with my mind like I'm some kind of doll. This is just a nightmare. _He pinched himself. _Ouch. Okay… that didn't work. Himiko couldn't be hurt. Couldn't be dead. _He shook his head._ Maybe they were mistaken. Yep, that's right. Just some huge mistake._

He abruptly stopped when he almost ran into a maid on the top of stairs. She, surprised, stopped right in front of him. He skidded to the right, missed her outstretched arm, reached for the railing near him, but lost his balance. He fell, and everything was a blur since then.

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He tried to open his eyes. Pain prevented it and an inaudible cry escaped his swollen lips. He felt soft hands caress his cheek. Edgy, he slapped her hand away. He tried to sit up, but everything felt like burning hell. _Oh God, save me. _He lay back down.

"Ban."

He jumped. "Who the hell are you?" He slightly remembered the assault made against him but couldn't remember what happened next. He didn't like it when he was confused, when everything around him was dark, unknown. He didn't like being vulnerable. And this girl… knew his name, knew who he was, whereas he didn't.

She was hesitant at first, but eventually built up the courage to say, "You thought I was dead, you thought I was a ghost. But when, one night, you and your friends came over, what a surprise you've discovered, ei?"

His once troubled face relaxed and his face turned to her. He tried to open his eyes, but it stung. A tear fell. Himiko faintly smiled and touched his lids. "Don't. You don't have to. Just relax, you're in good hands now."

Ban sighed. He touched his bruised face and grimaced when it throbbed. He dropped his hand on his side and turned to where her voice came from. "So… you're Himiko. And the guy who resembled Hyde is your brother?"

"Hey, punk! I'm here so watch your haughty mouth." Yamato stood in the corner, gazed menacingly at Ban.

Himiko narrowed her eyes at Yamato and looked at Ban. "Sorry about my brother. He can be stark mad most of time. I'm just glad that I haven't been admitted to the loony ward yet." Yamato scowled. She soaked a clean towel into a basin filled with warm water and gently wiped the blood away. As she did this, her other hand grabbed the ice bag from a bucket and dumped it on his face.

"Watch it! That hurts." Ban plucked the cold bag out of his face and tried to _glare _at her with his closed eyes.

Himiko smiled. "Don't be such a baby and let it stay there. You wouldn't want others to ogle at your face tomorrow, would you?"

"Whether my face is inflamed or not, people would revel in ogling at my face all day." Ban snickered.

"Yeah? Well, this time, they'll just run away from you either horrified or laughing their eyes off 'cuz you absolutely look like Frankenstein's monster only that you're blue."

"FYI, this ain't my fault. It was the gorilla's fault."

"Look here, Smart-ass. You forget, who trespassed on my property?" Yamato shook with escalating anger.

"I wouldn't be sleuth-like in the first place if you didn't dress up this place like a haunted mansion. People get the idea that this is a ghost's dwelling and free for any _living _entity to come in here and explore."

Himiko stopped dabbing Ban's contusions and cleared her throat, afraid that Yamato would attack Ban again. "Aniki, please leave us for a second."

"Ha! Not when the pigheaded playboy is with you. Alone." Yamato looked at her with his usual determined stare.

Himiko stood up, wobbled to the side, making Yamato jump. "He's not the only one who's pigheaded."

_Don't I know it. _He punched the wall and stormed out. Before closing the door, he yelled, "Ten minutes!"

"Burn your ass off!" She sat on the chair.

Ban whistled. "Touché."

"Don't push it." Quite harshly, she scrubbed his fresh wound. "Ow! Be gentle, will you?"

"I will if you'd shut up."

Ban frowned, and this brought a smile to Himiko's lips. "Mmm… funny. You haven't changed a bit."

The pain in his eyes began to fade and he attempted to open his eyes. The room was rather dark. The only light that radiated the room was from the Tiffany lamp beside her. Its amber glow didn't reveal every feature of her, just her worried violet eyes sparkling in the contrasting darkness.

Himiko sighed. "Keep doing that, I'll have to wrap a cloth around your eyes."

"Why? Aren't you dazzled by my perfect sapphire eyes?"

"Not me." _Liar_. She shook off the icky feeling of attraction and dumped the wet cloth on his eyes. "Want anything to eat?"

"What's there to eat?"

"Mmm… I can make a chicken sandwich. But we still got a leftover potato salad. I made it by the way. So you don't have to worry about my brother pouring poison-dressing on it."

Ban grinned. "Why not?"

"Be right back."

As soon as she closed the door, she leaned on it and exhaled. She could feel her cheeks flaming up and she fanned it with her hands. _Control yourself, girl. _When she calmed down, she limped to the kitchen.

Ban scanned the room. It was beautiful. Shelves full of books flanked both sides of the room; an antediluvian desk stood in front of him; a maroon-colored curtain guaranteed privacy; the chair where Himiko sat on was plush leather; the bed sheets were made out of silk and the queen-size bed was carved from some kind of wood, figures of elaborate, painted roses planted along the headboard, the sides, and the foot of the bed. It was like he was situated in the medieval era.

"I wonder if they're up for rent," Ban said to himself.

At the sound of someone's incoming, he relaxed and saw Yamato bring in a tray of food. He stiffened and paled. With his peripheral vision, he noticed that Himiko was hobbling from behind. Ban stared at her. He now saw that she was a cripple. He remembered Makubex's story about the Kudo tragedy. She was in the hospital for months. Accident. Car accident.

"_Ban, I'm so sorry. But I'm afraid… Himiko…"_

Without knowing, he sat up and touched the back of his head, searching for something. Yamato and Himiko gazed at him with surprise and bewilderment. Wide-eyed, Ban found a huge lump. His lower lip quivered. _My dream. Could it be a memory of the past? Had I really fallen? Why haven't they told me anything? Why can't I remember before that? Could it be… amnesia?_

He vigorously shook his head. "No, no, no."

"Ban. What's wrong?" Himiko lightly touched his shoulder.

He looked at her, forced his brain to remember her from the past. Nothing. Closed his eyes. _Himiko. Himiko. Kudo. _Nothing. Yamato placed the tray on the bedside's table and pulled Himiko away. Ban suddenly grabbed her hand. "Why can't I remember you? Why can't I?" He looked up at Yamato. "I only remember them telling me about an accident… but before and after that… I can't. But recently, in my dream, they told me… there was a car accident. I ran… and then I… I" He stopped. He wanted to beat his head. He wanted to know what happened before. He remembered the girl's laugh. Was it hers?

Ban felt arms wrapped around him. He looked down, saw her crying. Her head rested on his chest. His gaze fell on her legs, and she looked uncomfortable. He hoisted her, set her in front of him, and didn't return her perplexed look.

Ban tentatively looked at her sad eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't know… you."

He noticed her shiver, wanted to touch her, comfort her. But maybe, not now. Not until he discovered his past, his once cherished memories. He could tell that she loved him, but he, maybe he once did when they were kids. He hardly knew her now. He could feel his heart aching, probably his inner child who knew her, loved her. But this wasn't the right time. He was still confused. Besides, he glanced at Yamato's deep, green orbs. _He was hiding something. _

While he was deep in thought, he hadn't noticed Himiko stand up and approach the door. She then said, "I… I'm sorry… I need to rest."

As she closed the door behind her, Ban and Yamato stared at each other. This time, Yamato didn't look at him menacingly or doubt didn't etch his face. As Yamato's hand raked through his black mane, he sat down, and asked, "Want some salad?"

"This is gonna be a long story, huh?"

"You bet."

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Ban and Yamato were like brothers. They, as kids, usually exchanged baseball cards, talked about the latest fad concerning computer games, and watched horror, morbid flicks that sent shudders down Himiko's spine. They had good times back then. Yamato sighed.

Somehow, that old feeling that made Yamato want to befriend this irritating fart came back. As he swallowed a mouthful of salad, he observed Ban. Same as ever. Trustworthy, caring, witty, and as crazy as he was, Himiko was right about Ban. He hadn't changed one bit. But, of course, there was a tiny glitch here. Mido Ban forgot the Kudos.

Amnesia was the cause, no doubt.

Ban instantly saw Yamato staring at him and raised an eyebrow. "Dude, I don't mind chicks gazing at me until their saliva drops, but guys like you—hmm, let me get back to you on that one."

Yamato smirked. "Idiot."

Ban grinned, but stopped as he lightly touched his blue cheek. "Aw, geez. I think you hit the funny nerve. Now, I think I gotta go to my mom's therapist and have her fix this. Just look at the damage. Ouch. And I've always thought that the funny bone in the butt is responsible for making you laugh until you fart out all the air that was stuck inside."

"Shut up! I just ate you know." Yamato slapped Ban's arm.

"Hey, hey. Still feeling tender here." Ban protectively defended his arm.

"Course you are. Just hammered ya with my iron fists like a butcher tenderizing his flab of beef. Yummy. Want some burger?"

"Uh… euw. If that's how the cows feel, I'm converting into a vegetarian."

Yamato humorously shook his head. "Dead cows. Dead. Meaning, they won't feel anything."

"But think about before they were smashed into meaty strips."

"Since when did you care about anything that has four legs and cries moo?"

"Just awhile ago, when you were trying to _tenderize_ me."

Yamato laughed heartedly. Ban lightly smiled. Although he forgot both Yamato and Himiko, for some reason, he felt at home hanging around with them, even when they appeared like strangers to him now.

When silence dominated between them, Yamato immediately looked serious, very remorseful, and said, "I'm so sorry. I was just so gripped by rage that I didn't know what I was doing. I'm really sorry."

"It's all right, though I'm pretty confused why you were mad at me. Is it 'cuz you're afraid that I might hurt Himiko 'cuz I forgot everything about her? I'm sorry, too. I don't know what goin' on here." Ban rubbed the lump and sighed. When Yamato didn't respond, he asked, "What time is it?"

Yamato glanced at his watch, said, "8: 30. Looks like you gotta stay here for the night. Call your parents." Ban noticed bitterness in Yamato's voice when he uttered, "parents". Ban looked at him quizzically and as Yamato refused to return Ban's gaze, he said, "I don't live with them."

"I know. But they could have called your place. Or your friends. Have you told them where you were going off to?"

Ban shook his head. "I didn't want them to know, I didn't want them to come with me."

"Well, if I were you, I would call up one of them and tell them that I'm fine. They're probably sick of worry for ya." Yamato snatched a cell phone from his pocket. "Here, give Ginji a call." Ban saw Yamato jerk the phone back, as shocked as Yamato was about disclosing Ginji's name.

"You know Ginji?" Ban raised his brow.

Yamato slapped his forehead, replied, "I did the same thing you did before coming here. Research." _Oh well. _Yamato knew that secrets can never be kept forever.

"Oh. So… how'd you know that we were hacking into your file?"

Yamato met Ban's questioning stare. "I, like my parents before, am a hacker. I sorta followed their footsteps; I'm working for the government. But I'm more of a freelance type than having to live underground for the most part of my life. I have to take care of Himiko, you know? So, I discovered that you punks were checking out my file. Erased most of it, but stupidly, I forgot the hospital record."

"I see."

"I trust this won't go anywhere, unless you want men in black to kill you, dump your body somewhere remote, and leave no clue that would lead to your corpse. We're good at that, make it look like you never existed in the first place." Yamato's faith in Ban didn't falter and he felt at ease when he revealed this to Ban. Not that Ban was scared of being watched every now and then; he knew that Ban was good in keeping secrets, whether it involved a _stranger_ or friend.

"Painting a grisly scenario, are ya? Don't worry, these lips are sealed." Ban made a zipping action and threw an imaginary key aside.

Yamato nodded, tossed the phone at Ban. "Call your friend." As he said this, he picked up the tray and headed out the door.

Ban quickly dialed Ginji's number. As soon as he heard Ginji's nervous greeting, Ban said, "Ginji, speak up, can't hear you."

Ginji's yelp of joy and surprise made Ban's eyes twitch. "Ban-chan! Where have you been?" Ban then heard Teshimene's voice and heard Ginji reassuring his dad that Ban was on the phone and that he sounded like he was still in good shape.

Ginji came back and asked, "What happened to you? It's a quarter to nine. Why didn't you call earlier? Where did you go? Your mom and dad called your apartment but they said you didn't answer their calls and they're worried sick. Where are you?"

Ban rolled his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "I'm fine. I'm in an old friend's house, catching up on some things." Ban felt his stomach quivering when he called Yamato and Himiko his friends. "I'm sorry if I worried you. And I uh…" He gently touched his sewn temple. "Don't think I'll be going to school tomorrow".

"Ban-chan? Why not? Did something happen to you?"

"No. I just… don't feel so good. But don't worry 'cuz I'm in good hands. Tell Mom and Dad I'm well. Gotta go." Yamato let himself in. "Goodnight."

"Ban-chan—" Ban interrupted Ginji with the push of the off button.

Ban laid it beside him. "You got to tell me everything."

Yamato sat on the seat next to Ban and said, "Can't tell you everything. There are some issues where your parents are involved. You ask them."

Ban was starting to feel a tint of guilt when Yamato looked solemn about including his parents into this subject. He avoided that. "Okay… let's start with Himiko. Why'd you conceal her all this time since the accident?"

Yamato rubbed his temples, as if easing a headache. "She was an outcast. Everyone teased her, called her a freak. She always came home crying. Usually gum or slime was stuck to her hair or clothes; she couldn't run or properly defend herself because… she was a cripple. And whenever I was there to protect her, they incessantly teased her, mocked her that she was a baby, always dependent on her big brother. I had enough, so did she. So we agreed on home school. Of course, I taught her everything. She's a smart girl, so I have no worries." Yamato again avoided Ban's inquisitive glare.

"Oh c'mon. What are you afraid of Yamato? You're hiding something, aren't you? There's something more to this." Irritated, he stared at Yamato's profile.

Yamato suddenly turned to Ban. Because of the inadequate, yellow beam from the lamp, shadows danced on his face, his green eyes eerily illuminated, and he looked like he was ready to murder Ban. "Ask your parents."

Yamato was about to leave but Ban said, "She's not happy and you know it. Caging her like this, she's not some kind of wounded bird wherein you can keep it in a cage forever. She needs to be free, to live."

He heard Yamato whisper, "You don't understand."

"I will if you'd tell me."

"Like I said, ask your loving folks. They have all the answers."

"But you have them now."

"It's better if you hear it from them. Goodnight, Ban."

"Before you leave, could you just reconsider about Himiko's medium of education. It's not healthy for the both of you."

"And what are you gonna do if I allow her to go to school?"

"I'll take care of her."

Yamato snickered. "As if. You can't always be there for her."

"Maybe so. But she's a big girl, and I believe that she could take care of herself now. She has to learn one way or the other. Why, you couldn't expect yourself to save her all the time."

Yamato didn't say anything. He left Ban alone.

Tired, Ban dropped his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

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You like? No? Review please… 


	8. Unraveling the mystery: Part 1

Sorry for taking too long to update. Damn schoolwork…. Always givin' me a splitting headache… Anyway…

Enjoy!

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Somehow, the sun found its way through the seemingly impenetrable curtains that was supposed to block out the eye-stinging rays; sunshine filtered through the thick drapes and stung his closed lids. Ban grumpily shifted under the silky sheets. He didn't sleep well last night. Not only was his bruised face keeping him awake all night, but also the memory of Yamato's story puzzled him. _She was an outcast. Everyone teased her, called her a freak. She always came home crying. Usually gum or slime was stuck to her hair or clothes; she couldn't run or properly defend herself because… she was a cripple. And whenever I was there to protect her, they incessantly teased her, mocked her that she was a baby, always dependent on her big brother. I had enough, so did she. So we agreed on home school. Of course, I taught her everything. She's a smart girl, so I have no worries. _

It was strange. It wasn't a sensible excuse for them to conceal their lives' whereabouts, to hide behind this "creepy" mansion and reenact as ghosts. They could have just lived as normal people. Even if Yamato was currently working for the government, just like his parents before, he could be just like any other human being minding his own business and not giving a shit about anybody. No one would discover his profession if he and Himiko simply kept cool heads. However, erasing their past's story, the issue about the car accident… it wasn't rational at all. They were definitely hiding something. And Ban was going to find out.

Ban touched his swelling eye. _Ouch. How am I supposed to go to school looking like this? Everybody would think I ran into thugs and didn't know a damn about using my disastrous fists of death. Okay, exaggerating too much. _Ban blushed. Yamato pounded him into pulp and he didn't even defend himself adequately. Right now, his entire body felt like it just went through a two-hour session of dodge ball. He sat up and rubbed his flat, well-built tummy. He lifted up his shirt and examined his flesh. _Insides still intact, black marks everywhere. _Ban groaned. "If Mom sees me, she will be the first to enroll me into a Martial Arts 101 class. Just terrific."

If he went to school today, Paul would certainly question him and tell his dad. That should never happen. Never. He remembered Yamato bearing a grudge against his parents. Ban sighed. He reached for the cordless phone and dialed Ginji's number.

"Hello? Ginji? Glad I caught you," After a pause, he said, "Gonna skip school. Think I'm catching down on the merciless cold."

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"Over my dead body!" Himiko shrieked as Ban curiously walked along the dank hallway. They were in the underground lair. Ban searched for them everywhere in the _upper _area. After much thought, he decided to take the elevator and explore downstairs.

The floor was concrete. Rough, gray, bleak—Ban felt cold from within. Walking along the lonely, dark hallway, he was uneasy. He traced his fingers on the wall. Shivers ran down his spine. The cold, rough touch again. He retracted his hand and slid both hands under his armpits, seeking warmth from his body.

He followed his _guest's _furious whispers and saw a thin trail of light under a door at his far left. Because the hallway didn't radiate any light, not a single lamp was lit, he had to fumble for the threshold. He rapped on the door.

The voices stopped. Ban slightly smiled. Yamato opened the door, his disheveled appearance alarming Ban to take two steps backward. Yamato's bloodshot eyes seemed as if it would drop any minute now, his unusually pale countenance transformed him into the walking dead, dust stained his clear complexion, and his tired voice drew fear out of Ban's system. Ban cocked an eyebrow and asked Yamato, "Don't tell me you've been out partying all night without informing me."

Yamato lightly smiled. "You look like hell yourself. Come in." Yamato stepped aside to let Ban enter. As soon as Ban walked through the doorway, he noticed immediately an electronic wheelchair in the middle of the room. Himiko was standing next to a bed, her hands at her sides, forming into trembling balls. She didn't even acknowledge Ban, but was glaring at Yamato. Ban looked around him. Not as gloomy as the hall but not as cheery as morning sunshine.

The walls were painted lavender; shelves filled with books were set at the left corner, a decrepit working table barely able to hold another volume was placed beside her bed, and a blinking lamp next to the other side of the bed was struggling to overrule the overhead florescent light by attempting to illuminate the room. Though the room was small and windowless, it wasn't as shabby as his place. It was clean and rather organized. Plus, he detected a scent of roses in here.

Himiko's fuming voice brought him back to the present. "How many times do you want me to repeat myself? No. No. No! Got it? I'm never gonna sit or ride on that wretched thing ever again!" Disgusted, she pointed at the electronic wheelchair.

"Don't be pigheaded. Aren't you satisfied that I'm letting you go to school again?" Yamato uncomfortably shifted his eyes from Himiko to Ban. Clearing his throat, he looked at his sister and continued, "Only on one condition. Just one harmless—"

Himiko raised her hand to stop him. "Not a chance." She sat on the edge of her bed and crossed her arms. She didn't look at either of them, but stared at the floor.

Yamato looked at Ban for help. Ban could see that Yamato was desperate to gain backup from Ban for the reason that his stubborn sister was drawing the final line. Ban raked through his uncombed hair and calmly inquired, "Had a bad experience with that wretched thing?"

Himiko didn't answer him.

Ban walked closer to the immobilized chair. It was obvious that it hasn't been used for years. Cobwebs were tangled and embroidered on every deep or caved parts of the contraption, dust was collected in the niches, but it looked like it was still in perfect condition. The wheels looked efficient enough to handle any bumps on the road. "You allergic to dust?"

Still no answer. _Stupid question. _

"Did you use this when you were in elementary?"

Ban sensed Himiko make an uneasy shift of movement. "Ya know, you're not going to the same school as before. This time, if you ever get in, you'll be in high school. Meet new people; some may act like jerks, but I believe that you have enough spunk to chicken them out of their pants. If you ever meet someone from the past, you could hit them or run over their toes. How satisfying that would be, huh?" Ban patted on the steering handle that resembled a bike's.

This time Himiko stared at his eyes. A relaxed smile was etched on her face. "It would certainly be satisfying." Ban smiled back. "No doubt about it, pighead."

Himiko laughed. "Smartass."

Ban leaned on the wheelchair. "So… what could this baby do?"

Yamato neared Ban and pointed at a yellow switch that was adjacent to the keyhole. "If you want to crush their toes into crunchy bits, turbo would do the job."

"Cool. Doesn't look new." Ban looked intently at the switch.

"It's not. But enhanced the model myself."

"Recently?"

"Recently."

Ban whistled. "No wonder you look as dead as a drooling zombie this morning."

Yamato slapped Ban's arm. "Zip it. At least my face doesn't look like the moon."

"I don't have craters."

"No… but your face is hideously swelling in some places. Gotta get you some ice." Yamato shoved Ban out the door. "C'mon pighead, time for breakfast."

"Shut up." Himiko grinned at her brother's back.

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" Let me get this straight," Ban stared at Himiko then squinted his eyes at Yamato. "You discussed what I just said about Himiko's medium of education last night? And now… you two have already agreed to let her go back?" Ban slapped the ice pack on his left cheek.

Himiko slowly nodded. "Is it that strange?"

"Not really. I reckon you've been giving this much thought."

Himiko swallowed a spoonful of cereal and said, "I'm sick of this place. No offense, Aniki, but it's really dull, dark, and scary. I feel so lonely, sometimes I feel like I'm becoming claustrophobic. Whenever I look out the window every morning, seeing students walk to school with friends, chattering away like life's slowing down and their fears are put behind them—I envy them." She looked at Ban. "I envied you when I saw you one day with your friends. You all seemed happy and I missed that." She closed her eyes, afraid that tears would flow down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"

"Idiot. Why do you have to apologize? I should be the one who should have seen it." Yamato wrapped his arm around his sister. Himiko comfortably leaned her head on his shoulder. "Guess that makes us even."

Ban's eyes filled. "Jeez. What a warmhearted moment. Wish I could capture it on film."

"Shut up, Drama King. Mind handing the salt to me?" Yamato said as he let go of Himiko.

"Sure. Mind me asking another question?" Ban lightly pushed the saltshaker toward Yamato.

Yamato, feeling suddenly anxious, stared at Ban. "What?"

"I don't buy your story about Himiko's excuse to disappear all of a sudden because she was bullied constantly. Doesn't make sense. I just… I just… wanna know. Did my parents have a role in this?" Yamato looked away from Ban.

"It's not our place to tell you everything. Like I said, ask your oh-so wonderful parents." Yamato shot up and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Ban and Himiko alone.

Ban apologized to Himiko, but Himiko shook her head. "It's understandable for you to doubt our story. It's a senseless excuse, I won't deny that. But I would also not lie to you that your assumptions are not correct." She lifted her cup to drink but Ban asked her, "So my parents did have something to do with the car accident? A simple yes or no would stop me from going any further."

Himiko's eyes remained downcast for a minute or two. Ban waited. After a moment of nervous silence, Himiko rose, wobbled a bit as her braced leg had a difficulty in supporting her weight. "Would you mind if you wash the dishes? I don't feel well."

"No problem." Ban understood. He gathered the plates and briskly walked to the sink. Himiko pushed the swinging door and as her right leg crossed the threshold, she said, "I won't mince words for you. I despise your parents, you can figure out the rest."

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"Ban's definitely hiding something," Shido said. Ginji wasn't looking at him, but was gazing out the window. "I don't understand. He sure didn't sound like he was catching down on something." Ginji turned to Shido and gave him a grim look, signaling that he was immensely worried.

"At least it doesn't sound like he's been kidnapped or killed. He must be fine," Emishi stopped when Jackal interrupted him, "Have you checked his apartment?"

Ginji shook his head. "Not yet. But after classes are over, let's go check it out."

The bell rang. Every student returned to his or her respective seat. Ginji leaned his chin on the table. _Ban-chan… what are you up to?_

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The warm water sluiced away the soapy residue of the soap, relaxing his tense nerves that knotted his back and neck. He rinsed his shampooed hair. _Smells like roses. Like her room, like her. _Ban shook his head and turned off the shower. He stepped out of the stall while a blast of cold air electrified him. Yamato leaned on the doorway, staring coldly at a surprised Ban.

"Jesus! Can't a guy have any privacy around him?" With a towel, Ban covered his extremities. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Chill. I heard that you're going out?"

"How am I supposed to _chill_ when you _shouldn't_ be here while I am bathing? And so what if I want to go out? You don't expect me to be cooped up in here all day?" Ban wrapped a towel around his waist and headed toward Yamato's direction. "Move. Gotta change before I catch pneumonia."

Yamato didn't budge. "You're not getting out of this place thru the front door," After saying that, he added, "Meet you at the stairway." As he walked away, Ban tousled his wet, tangled mane. "He's as weird as Jackal sometimes."

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"See you later pighead." Ban brotherly patted Himiko's head. Himiko slapped his hand away. "Get out of here before I kick your ass."

"Oooh. My legs are trembling with unfathomable fright." The both of them laughed when a _ding _indicated that the elevator was ready.

"I just have to take care of something. I'll be back soon." Ban didn't dare to be specific what his business was. He was afraid that it might further upset or frustrate them.

Yamato waited for Ban in the elevator. "C'mon, we ain't got all day." Himiko waved Ban goodbye, and felt like she wanted to come with them just to see Ban walk away, but she knew that her leg would give way if she leaned on it every now and then. "See you soon."

Ban smiled at her and entered the enclosed compartment. When the doors closed, Yamato pressed a red button and it started moving down.

"Why can't I walk through the front door?" Ban asked as he leaned on the side.

"Nobody can't see that a guy suddenly came out of here in broad daylight. In case you've forgotten, you're known in this neighborhood and anybody who sees you will notify your parents in a heartbeat."

"My, my. You've done your homework pretty well."

"That's my job." When the elevator stopped moving, the doors slid open and chilling darkness lay before them.

Ban swore under his breath and followed Yamato out of the compartment. Just when his sight was adjusting to the dark passage, Yamato told him in a hushed voice, "Go right from here, keep going straight. Then you'll spot a flight of stairs, climb up, and there'll be a door. It'll be hard to push the door outward, but you've got enough muscle. After climbing out, close this immediately and walk away. Don't even talk to anybody when they see you coming out of the park. You're not seen from the front, but you'll be going through the deep side of the park. Here, borrow my shades for the time being." Yamato handed him the black shades. Ban accepted them but asked, "Why are you whispering?"

Yamato shrugged. "Dunno. It just sounds more mysterious." Yamato flashed a white smile at Ban and said, "Oh, almost forgot. I'll turn on the lamps so you can see where you're going. Now vamoose!"

Before Yamato turned to leave, Ban asked, "So, I'll be emerging from your backyard?"

Yamato nodded. "The neighbors won't see 'cuz you're going out through the thickets. Plus, the weeds would help hide you from a snooping granny next door to take notice of you." Yamato walked to the elevator and called out, "Don't worry, I'll turn on the lights. The control center's in my room…" His voice died away when the doors smoothly slid shut.

Ban gulped a lump down his throat. _Here goes. _He started walking through the dark, blind as a bat as he went on further. _Oh joy. What a civilized way of getting out of a mansion. _

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As soon as he swung open the door with a hard push, a roll of dirt and leaves rained on him. _How lovely. Just after I took a nice, refreshing bath, I need to take one again._ He climbed out and stayed in a crouch, warily looked from side to side, quickly closed the door, and straightened up. He then smoothed away the soil that clung to his shirt and put on the shades Yamato lent him.

Jamming his hands into his pockets, he speedily made his way toward the trees that loomed ahead.

After much struggle with the tugging branches and slapping leaves, he sighed with relief when he was walking along the park's walk. He breathed in the fresh air, smiled, and didn't look twice when an old couple stared at him with suspicion. He scanned his watch and saw that it was 3: 35 in the afternoon.

There was still more time for him to take a nice, hot shower in his apartment, get dressed in a tux, and go to his father's party. He frowned at the thought that he was already betrothed, or was going to be, to an older woman. No matter how beautiful she might be, he didn't want to marry a woman who would most likely toy with him—because of their age difference, and that would mean that she had more _manipulation_ over him—just to get what her beating heart desired. He always wanted to have control, and he didn't want to lose it to an older woman. Why, he usually lost his control when his mother and grandmother were involved in his personal life. This would be the last straw. They won't get away with this.

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He took out his key from his pocket and went inside. He switched on the light and observed his room. _Still the same as I left it_. Dirty or unwashed clothes were strewn on the floor, molded pizza spotted the coffee table, empty bags of chips littered the floor and couch, and the answering machine blinked menacingly at Ban.

He was about to walk into his bedroom when a knock sounded on the door. Annoyed, he opened the door without hesitation. "What?"

His eyes widened when he saw that his friends were as startled as he was. _Uh oh. This is so not the time for any talk. Gotta think of something fast. _

"Ban-chan? What? What happened to you?" Ginji quickly noticed the bruised marks on Ban's face.

"Nothing." Ban lightly touched his face, but changed the subject by asking, "Aren't you guys invited to my dad's party?"

"Sure, by you. But… you look terrible. Are you sure you're capable of looking sharp for your dad's special day?" Makubex asked, a look of concern flickered his face.

Ban warmly smiled. "Yeah. Look, I'll meet you guys later. Right now, gotta fix myself." Without another word, he shut the door. He wearily leaned on the door, waited until their voices and footsteps gradually died.

When silence ruled, he quickly went to his bathroom and inspected his face. His face wasn't hideously swelling anymore, but his face still looked like an ape just landed on his face. He searched for a soothing cream in his medicine cabinet that might help in mildly vanishing the bruises. Extra toothpaste. Aspirin. Expired foot cream. Putrid lotion. Was he really this deprived? He threw the foot cream into the trashcan and ran to the phone, paying no heed to the blinking, red light.

After awhile, he said, "Kazuki? This is Ban. I know you're getting ready for the party, but I need a huge favor."

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"Jeez, it's a battlefield in here," Kazuki nearly tripped over a shoe. "Not to mention that it smells like it." Even when she was crossed, she looked beautiful. Ban had to be careful not to drool. He was staring at her outfit, which looked fitting on her.

Her brown hair was loosely tied in a ponytail, leaving two locks framing her exquisite face. Her short, black dress bared her smooth, pale back and long legs. Golden earrings sparkled on her ears, a matching necklace duly settled on her exposed skin, and bracelets gave a touch of elegance to her look. Ban was almost envious of the guy who she was to meet in the party. Since last week, she's been talking nonstop about Kakei Jubei, and just by the mention of the name, Ban knew who he was.

_Me and my big, fat mouth. _He stared down at his polished shoes, adjusted his tie, and elbowed Kazuki toward the couch.

"What on earth have you been doing? By the look and smell of your room, I don't doubt that thugs lived here for a couple of days while keeping you captive and making you into their punching bag. Mind telling me?" Kazuki zipped her purse open and took out a tube of cream and foundation.

"It's complicated. Can't talk about it."

"Fine. Okay, look at me. Euw. You look horrible."

"Thanks, I'm flattered," he sarcastically replied.

With a swift move, she unscrewed the top of the tube and applied generously on Ban's face. At first feel, it stung his face. But after a moment, it felt really good, "That feels better."

Kazuki didn't say anything but concentrated on applying cream on Ban's face. Ban didn't look at her, but was thinking of something else. He was most concerned about Himiko. His sudden sad expression startled Kazuki. _This isn't like him. If we were this close, he would flirt with me. But now…_

"You all right?"

Ban immediately stared at her brown eyes and smiled. "Yeah. You almost done?"

Surprised by his cool demeanor toward her, which was odd, she simply nodded. After applying the cream on his face, she grabbed her makeup and focused on Ban's black spots.

"Um… are you sure that's a good idea? People might get the wrong idea."

"Don't worry. You asked for my expertise, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. But Hevn was my first option though she left already. So, lucky you."

"Yipee. I've landed in a lair that could be similar to a sewer. Now be quiet. I need my concentration."

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Emishi whistled. "Looking good. Nice work, Kazuki."

Confident, Ban thanked her and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go."

Ginji offered an arm to Natsumi, and when Natsumi shyly wrapped hers around Ginji's, their faces instantly turned red. Jackal, Shido, Makubex, Kazuki, and Ban held back a laugh and started walking along the sidewalk.

In a few minutes, they were approaching the Kudo mansion. All except for Ban and Jackal felt their skin tingling from within. Ban stopped and looked at the manor's seemingly dilapidated front door. He sighed. _Himiko. Yamato._ He was about to move on when he noticed someone looking out from a window at the second floor. He couldn't see who it was, but he reckoned it was Himiko. He wanted to reach out for her, he wanted to run to her and coax her into coming along. He touched the bump on his head. _Himiko, I'm sorry._

He turned and resumed walking, paying no heed to his friends' questioning faces.

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Like? No? Well, please share your views on it… reviews always brighten my mood… XD


	9. Confrontation

Triss Skylark: You're a doll; I very much appreciate your support for my story. I could just fly to wherever you are and kiss you, but people might get the wrong picture, plus, it'll cost me dearly. Anyway, thanks again! XD

Taraneh: Thanks for your review and encouragement… I'll do my best to show Madoka's braver side in the upcoming chapters, don't worry.

Outsane: I have never forgotten you, my avid reader and supporter. Your reviews have motivated me to continue. And now that I've got the time, I'll speedily update the next chapters this time.

Passerby: Advice taken. No more long author's note. :D

TokneNeng: Sorry for the cliffhanger. I'll minimize that. Thanks. XD

Juneibiyatch: Hope you ain't disappointed anymore… :P

Identity crisisBASTUSAN NA: Guess we have something in common, ne? Ban and Himiko forever! Woo hoo! Thanks for reading and reviewing… 

Marbles: Your ceaseless enthusiasm for my stories makes me happy… thanks… XD

And for the rest of my readers… love you all! From now on, I'll update faster as well as making the story more interesting and enjoyable to read.

Enjoy!

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As they quietly walked toward Ban's residence, Ban occasionally eyed Makubex carefully. He very well knew that this young pal of his had some keen interest on his fiancée to be. Just as excited as Kazuki was, Makubex incessantly blabbered about his online friend, and he didn't fail to mention that they've bonded more intimately through the chat room as years gone by. Not to mention that the boy flushed hysterically while describing her, indicating that he cared for her.

Ban soon found out the "friend" he was referring to was none other than Kakei Sakura. Eerie coincidence?

As soon as Kazuki heard the name, she and Makubex were jumping like frenzied bunnies hopping after a decoyed carrot and were talking like animated, shrilly teenage girls screaming that they've found their soul mates. It was, of course, normal for Kazuki to act that way, but in Makubex's case, eyes wide and jumping too high that it looked like he broke a record, quite unlike him. He was usually calm and calculating. Not one who shrieked over childish matters.

Ban shrugged. Another amusing side of Makubex.

He didn't tell Makubex anything. Didn't warn him. He instead devised a plan to avoid his parents as soon as he pecked their cheeks. A few introductions made before the Kakeis would be enough. A raised eyebrow and languid shake of a hand would let them know that he wasn't interested.

He looked at Makubex. He could see the boy grinning broadly. He didn't want to snatch him, corner him, and tell him about the planned engagement. It'll just break the kiddo's pounding, besotted heart.

Besides, Ban was sure that Sakura felt the same way for Makubex. Call it a playboy's intuition, he didn't care. He didn't want to spoil Makubex's enthusiasm.

They were approaching a corner, a streetlamp lighted that depressing corner. He was at the rear, his friends were not paying any attention to him. He walked slowly, his head bent down like a guilty pup heading toward its home with mud and a herd of new fleas residing in its filthy fur. Just then, he sensed someone behind him. He looked at the shadow hiding far from the light's revealing beam.

Yamato.

He was wearing a black trench coat with a hat to match his "undercover work". Then Ban saw movement behind the big man's back. He saw a soft mop of dark hair and big, gorgeous purple eyes staring at him tenderly. He smiled.

"Spying on me, ei?" Ban inched closer.

Ginji and the others abruptly stopped and looked inquisitively at them. Troubled by the sight of dark-clad strangers, Ginji whispered, "Ban-chan, what—"

Ban lifted his hand, signaling for them to keep their traps shut. He still focused on Yamato then asked, "What are you doing here?"

Yamato whistled loudly. His voice grew to a whisper. "Suited for a party? Mmm… why did you say nothing? Scared that my sister and I would catch your father and gun him down once we found out?"

"I won't mind if you beat him up. I don't give a damn. But do bear in mind that my questions haven't been answered yet. So before you savagely torture him, I want to know everything." Ban narrowed his eyes at Yamato. Yamato did the same.

"I want to surprise your old man."

"Why now?"

Yamato cocked his head backward, looked at the twinkling stars above. "Bigger surprise this way. Plus," Yamato looked at Ban, his stare haunted. "I want everybody in his lavish party to know everything. Hope you don't mind."

"Actually, I do. I have to be honest with myself. I hate my father. There are personal reasons why I hate him so much. But hurt his pride in front of his guests is like killing him—"

"I know," Yamato interrupted.

"I'm sorry, but I won't let you do that." Ban took a step closer and fisted his hand.

"Oh. So you want a rematch?" Yamato smirked. "Well then, knocking you out would certainly turn your dad's hair white. Might even give him a heart attack. Oh goody." Yamato cracked his knuckles, his grin turning sinister.

By now, Himiko gracelessly jumped out from behind her brother's back and stood between the two boys.

"Stop it. You two aren't little boys playing a harmless wrestling match," She turned to Ban. "Your house is two miles away, guests are parading to it, and this fight would bring unwanted attention to both you and your dad." Without turning to her brother, she said, "You're acting like a child. The reason why I convinced you to come along was so… so…" She blushed. "I wanted some fresh air. I don't want you to make a scandal, got it? The last thing we both want, I'm sure," her voice grew to a whisper so Ban's friends couldn't catch a word she said, "is seeing the front-page saying, 'KUDO SIBLINGS BACK FROM THE DEAD INFLICTING PAIN ON THE AFFLUENT MIDOS.'"

Before she could say another word, Yamato and Ban cracked in uproarious laughter. Raising her brow, Himiko perplexedly watched them hooting in laughter, leaning on each other to catch breath, and bellowing so loud that Ginji and Shido smiled.

When Ban was able to breathe in deeply, he sighed, planted his hand on Himiko's shoulder—bringing a blush to her cheeks—said exhaustingly, "We… were just… ah… playing… haha… ouch that hurts. Whoa! That felt good."

"I'll say," Yamato leaned on his sister. "First time I've heard you commanded me or anyone like that. Almost brought tears to my eyes if the circumstances weren't so funny."

Frustrated, she pulled away from their grasps and nearly tripped if Ban didn't snatch her by wrapping an arm around her. They both furiously blushed but were thankful that the gloom hid their flaring cheeks.

Since her body was leaning against his, he got a good sniff of her and implanted that scent in his memory. He then noticed that she was dressed for a party. Her dress was the same color as her eyes, a dark violet; it reached a little high above her bony knees, a charm bracelet decorated her right wrist, but no earring or necklace adorned her delicate ears or neck. He saw that she was wearing her leg brace, not caring if people felt uneasy about it. Another bold step.

Ban's breath was dawdling and warm on her nape and a sizzling tingle tickled her body. She wanted to lean on him, but knew that he'll push her away if she did so. She tried to pull away from him, but his clutch was firm.

"I don't believe I invited you to my dad's party. Why dressed up so… stunningly?" His voice was almost a purr, his lips brushing her lobe.

Ginji and the others were staring at them. Dumbfounded, they didn't utter a word.

"I… I… wanted to break—"

"Free? Liar." His grip tightened. His intent direct. "You have the hots for me, huh?"

Yamato, amused, watched them as he undid the coat's buttons and revealed his formal outfit. He let the coat hang on his arm, didn't take the hat off, and stayed immobilized by the sight of Ban flirting with his sister. He shook his head. "Quit it, Ban. I still don't know you well enough to allow you to turn my sister on."

Himiko finally grew the courage to elbow Ban's stomach and glared at him as she spun to look at him. "Asshole." She limped to her brother and said, "I change my mind. Let's go home."

Feigning annoyance, Yamato said, "Oh shoot. Just when I took off my coat to let Ban judge how good this suit looks on me. What do you think?"

"Nice. You're a lady-killer." He jerked a finger at Kazuki. "If only she didn't have a date, bet she'll turn into mush just looking at your eyes."

"You really love my eyes?" Yamato grinned, playfully batted his eyelashes.

"Puh-lease. Go on a date, why don't you?" Himiko crossed her arms.

"Aw… someone's jealous." Yamato tapped her head. Ban lovingly stared at her back, said, "Since you two are all dressed up, it'll be a waste if you ain't coming and eat good food."

Himiko was hobbling past Yamato when her brother said, "Whoa. Didn't you hear? We're invited. Don't wanna miss that grand opportunity, do we?"

Irritated, she turned to him, said through gritted teeth, "Don't play with me. As soon as you'll catch sight of Ban's dad, you'll be all over him. You'll be an embarrassment."

"Ouch," Yamato slightly turned to meet Ban's eye. _Persuade her! _ "What a naughty thing to say to your older brother. Wanna check my pockets? Got nothing sharp on me."

"Fists of doom?"

"Gonna tuck both in the abyss of my pockets. No worries." Yamato buried his hands in his pockets and said, "You coming?"

"No." She was starting to walk away when Ban grabbed her hand.

"You've got a huge pride, don't you?"

"Let me go—"

"Or you'll what? Kick my balls?" Ban pulled her closer. "You wouldn't cuz you'll fall on your ass if you did so."

Her eyes were burning. Before she could retort, he said, "I'm sorry for my rude remark. Would you find the heart to forgive me and post as my girlfriend tonight?"

Himiko and Yamato's jaws dropped. Emishi's shocked question reached Ban's ears. "What did he just say?"

Disbelief drawn on his face, Yamato asked, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am," He calmly tipped her open jaw to close it, and when she didn't say anything, he added, "It's just a charade. I'm not asking for real."

Himiko blinked her eyes twice and asked hoarsely, "Why?" Clearing her throat, she backed away from Ban.

Ban sighed. "I don't want to get engaged."

By now, everyone except Yamato and Jackal blurted out, "Engaged? With who?"

Knowing that there was no backing out, he murmured, "Kakei Sakura." He made sure that Makubex was able to read his lips.

The boy grew pale. "Sakura?"

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Ban ignored Ginji's questioning eyes about Yamato and Himiko. Shido and Jackal kept eyeballing Himiko, thinking that she looked bizarrely familiar. He ignored them too. While they were a mile away from the bright lights and perfumed air around the house, Ban was walking at Makubex's side, assuring the shocked kid that he didn't love Sakura, not the same way as Makubex felt for her.

"But Ban," Makubex's head was still bent. "It's already planned. There's nothing I can do about it. You and I both know that. Maybe… I should go back home…" Makubex was about to turn around when Ban sharply grabbed Makubex's limp arm.

"You a nut?" Ban saw tears flowing down Makubex's cheeks. _Damn!_ "Listen, kid. That's why Himiko is going to act as my girlfriend for now. She doesn't mind, does she? And neither does her brother?" He called out, not turning around.

"Nope, not at all." Yamato and Himiko both replied. Himiko's cheeks colored. Kazuki saw this and smiled. She then saw Ban's face and observed that he too was flushing. _Interesting._

"But—"

Ban interrupted him by saying, "Do you actually think that she'll be happy with the likes of me?"

The others held back a laugh.

"Shut up, guys. Anyway, I doubt we'll both be happy together. They described her as exquisitely beautiful but I don't know her, I don't feel right about being linked with someone who I have no common ground with. They say she's crazy over computers, I'm not. They split my head. They say she loves lilies. I'm allergic to lilies. They say she's older than I am. My mom's age isn't too far from hers. I say I love peanut butter. They say her eyes get puffy just by the smell if it. I love dogs, she loves cats. Cats… why, they give me the goose bumps. She likes Classics, I relish in rockin' hard. I'm a hawk, she's a dove. We're not compatible. We won't be happy together."

"Oh c'mon. By the sound of it, you're hypnotizing Makubex into turning manic by kidnapping Sakura and enticing her to elope with him," Kazuki rolled her eyes. "You want a way out. Selfish bastard," she mumbled.

Himiko heard her. Gnashing her teeth, she was about to pounce at the brunette but Yamato held her back.

"What if I am? If you were in my shoes, would you let your parents get you engaged with… with Jackal?" Ban was shaking with anger. He refused to be engaged. Was that hard to understand? Just staring at Kazuki's cold eyes nearly caused him to throw an immature tantrum before them.

Kazuki anxiously turned to Jackal. Akabane, smiling widely, giggled. "That's a nice thought."

Seething, Kazuki opened her mouth to retort but stopped when Ban disrupted her.

"Hey, hey. Don't get the wrong idea." Frustrated, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just… I'm not ready for this. In fact," Ban snorted. "I don't even have to come here."

Himiko touched his arm. He looked at her. She smiled. She swiftly entwined her arm with his and with an enchanting smile, she said, "C'mon sugar, let's do this thing."

Ban's face relaxed and he pulled her closer. "Thought you wouldn't push through, baby doll."

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In their vast garden, a huge white canopy was perched above the arranged tables and chairs, an array of roses, tulips, and petunias speckled the table's centerpiece, trees mildly danced in the light breeze, perfectly erect waiters roamed about with trays filled with wine and mouth-watering appetizers, early guests chatted senselessly everywhere, and Ban despairingly gulped when his mother's squeal of joy turned heads toward them.

Ban was thankful that Yamato wore a fake mustache and horn-rimmed glasses while Himiko inserted blue contact lenses just before entering through the front door. Jackal suspiciously focused on Himiko, still pondering over something. _I could have sworn I saw her somewhere…_

Himiko entangled both of their arms as Ban's mother walked up to him. Disappointed that she let go of him, he scowled at her grinning mother.

"Why the long face?" She patted his cheek. "Don't spoil the party and go to your father. He's expecting you." She immediately noticed Yamato glaring at her. She glared back and walked away. _Lowlifes. What does Ban see in them? Just a bunch of delinquents who would most likely fool around and cause a riot. Why must I have such a simple-minded son?_

She briskly walked toward Ban and his father.

"Happy birthday, Dad." Ban said as he hugged his father.

"Well, glad you made it, my boy. You've been worrying us these past few days." Shin smacked Ban's back, making Ban choke back a curse.

"That's right, honey. You're not answering our calls, and according to Paul, you've been absent for two days, and… is that makeup?" Quite horrified, Miaka covered her mouth with her hand.

_Just terrific. _Melodramatic, too damn meticulous, and hard to please, his mother's surprised reaction attracted some guests to zero in on them. Ban wanted to rub his face in exhaustion, but stopped, realizing that his bruises might reveal themselves if he did just that.

"Mom, it's not makeup. Don't be rash. It's moisturizing cream. I bought the wrong cream that would match with my complexion. Dumb attendants." Ban stiffly laughed, scratched his head when his mother and father didn't say anything.

"Okay… moisturizing cream it is. Son," He pulled Ban toward a table. "Want you to meet someone." Shin couldn't shroud his excitement as they headed to a table that was currently occupied by three people.

Panicking, he blurted out, "But first," Ban pulled away from his dad's grasp around his neck. "I want you to meet someone."

Puzzled, his mom and dad stared at his retreating form and were extremely apprehensive when a girl was walking beside him and was holding his hand. Miaka's knees buckled when Ban introduced Himiko to his parents.

"Mom, Dad, want you to meet my girlfriend, Kurano Miki."

Himiko's stomach churned inside her, her cheeks feeling hotter than it typically did, and her left leg was beginning to ache tremendously.

Ban felt her hand tightening in his and saw that her left leg couldn't hold her any longer. He held her waist to prevent her from falling and pulled her closer to him. By now, his parents saw her braced leg and Shin paled instantly.

Suddenly, Yamato popped up behind Ban. He held out his hand and introduced himself, "Happy birthday, Sir. I'm Miki's brother, Haru. So nice to finally meet you." _Again. _Ban elbowed Yamato to shut up.

But Shin saw the dark gleam in Yamato's eyes. Wide-eyed and sweating copiously, Shin fished out his handkerchief and rubbed his damp forehead. He ignored Yamato's outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"I'm sure," Yamato darkly replied.

"What is the meaning of this, Mido-san? I thought that our children are going to be engaged?" Mrs. Kakei stood up and approached Shin. She turned her glare at Ban. "Is this true, young man? This cripple is your girlfriend?"

Yamato bared her teeth and his hands were trembling with rage in his pockets, but Ban shoved him aside and whispered to him, "Don't you dare. We'll leave soon, don't worry."

Ban cleared his throat and said, "Please, ma'am. If you weren't my father's business partner, I would have so rudely retorted for how you demeaned my girl. I knew that facing either you or my parents would mean disaster, but it would be rude if I don't at least apologize to you for already having a relationship with this lovely girl. So here I am, ma'am, trying to prevent myself from shouting at your face. I've got a terrible temper, ma'am, and I'm not afraid to unleash it. So please, ma'am, don't you ever talk such thing about Hi… Miki. I love her."

"Why you ungrateful, egotistic, impertinent boy!" She was itching to slap Ban's face. "We came here from NY, and this is how we should be treated? Didn't your parents tell you about our plans?"

The guests and waiters kept quiet and were watching intently. Even Miaka started to back away, but Shin clutched her shoulder.

Enraged, Ban hissed at her, "Your plans, ma'am. Not mine."

"Ban! Stop it. That's no way to talk to a venerated associate of ours," Miaka said as she neared Ban. Yamato squinted his eyes at her, making her stop in her tracks. Something about him and his eyes frightened her. Something about him was frighteningly familiar.

Ban ignored the ruddy, livid Kakei, his sweating dad, his petrified mother, and all faces that saw and heard everything.

Himiko's knees gave way but Ban swiftly swooped her off her feet. Ban carried her to the back door, but stopped when his dad shouted, "Walk out that door, you are no son of mine! From this day on, you are never welcome here. Elope with your girlfriend, I won't care anymore. I won't even pay for your education if you leave. Dare leave, I will disinherit you!"

Shocked whispers flew around, but Ban didn't care. He gave a sidelong glance at Paul and Teshimene's curious and frustrated stares, but Ban overlooked them all. Ginji, with his big brown eyes searching his best friend's, was nervously walking to Ban, but Ban glowered at him. "Please, leave me alone," he whispered.

By the sound of his father's voice, he knew that his dad was dead serious. Himiko whispered to him, "Ban… put me down. I don't want your father to disown you because of me. This is just an act, this isn't real," she muttered. She tugged at him to put her down, but he shook his head. "I won't go back and get engaged."

Himiko looked at him and saw Shin in him. They were both stubborn and both had brimming pride. She knew that father and son won't back down, can't accept defeat. And so, she kept silent and permitted Ban to carry her.

Furiously shaking, Shin shouted, "Have it your way. Don't come crawling in here for money, got it?"

"I don't need your money to survive," Ban mumbled.

Yamato still didn't budge from his spot.

Too angry to care, Ban called out, "Yamato! Let's go."

Shin and Miaka jumped at the name, stared at Yamato's mad stare. "Right behind you, Ban. Have a wonderful evening, Mido-san." He bowed slightly.

As he walked toward the door, he grabbed a glass of wine from a tray and sipped it with indubitable glee.

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You like? No? Well, review!

Reviews always brighten my mood… hehe


	10. Getting ready

marbles-chan: Yeah! Another BanXHimiko fan! Woo hoo! Thanks for loving my fic…

**animangacraze: Trying to take your word for it. Cheers! **

**Pinkz88: Keep reading, you'll find out soon enough… XD**

**Enjoy!**

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In minutes' time, they were back in the mansion, silence deafening them and making them feel awkward about it. Before climbing down through the concealed passageway in the backyard, Ban gently put Himiko down. Actually, he was forced into it, but he unwillingly did it for the sake of keeping her complaints to herself.

Throughout their walk home, she insisted that Ban left them, go back to his father's party, and apologize for his unthinkable act. But just as what was expected of him, he was adamant about leaving his father to rot in shame in his own pointless birthday bash. It was pitiful. Even if she felt animosity for Ban's dad, she knew well enough that it was unbearably humiliating to scream at the top of your lungs in front of admirable guests and disown your only son at the same time on your special day.

She frowned at Ban, who looked snootily unperturbed. "Ban, you're the biggest idiot I've ever met."

"By the sound of your tone, I'm picking my choices whether I should punish myself for being a bad boy or let bossy friend tell me what I should do with my life." He undid his coat and tie and made his way along the gloomy hallway. He was seven feet from the elevator. Sensing this, he started walking briskly.

Himiko made a growling sound in her throat and stopped. "Fine, you arrogant snake! See if I care how you're gonna manage your life now that you've been disowned!"

Breathing through clenched teeth, she avoided Yamato massaging her back. Too annoyed, she pushed away his soothing touch and limped to her room. Without turning around, she scolded Yamato. "Why'd you do that? Why'd you let him embarrass his father in front of his guests and friends? Especially on his birthday! That was uncalled for!"

"Oh. So now you care for the man who killed our parents?"

"At this point, yes." She turned to face him, saw he was a few steps away from her, his face hidden in the shadows so she can't see his reaction. She knew he was crackling inside and ready to explode. "Wanna know why I feel bad? Let's see," she took a step closer and jerked a finger at him. "You popped right in front of them, appeared to them like you're some mad guy who incongruously came back from dark memory lane while Ban was trying so hard to control his temper and the brewing situation. But no… you suddenly let your past get to your head—you glared at them—and that was what we were trying to prevent at that time. Because of you, Ban's been disclaimed! We shouldn't have even been there in the first place!" She balled her fists and furiously stared back at his silhouetted face.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what they've done to you? Wait… Oh, ding! I sense my memory coming back to me. Have you forgotten that as soon as you saw Ban in his handsome suit, you wanted to follow him? You even wore a dress just to make sure that it led to that. You wanted to SPY ON HIM!" His voice boomed at those last words. When he saw her mouth opening, he quickly interrupted her, "You know that it was the bastard's birthday. We both know it. And subconsciously, we know that his party was held just around the corner. You know that if I saw Old Shin, I would smother him right away. But you wanted me to come along. Why? Funny, you're the one who's supposed to know why."

Himiko could feel her heart beating faster, each thundering beat muting all sound except for her rushing breath. She closed her eyes, breathed harder. Oh God. She could feel the walls closing in, choking her. She heard Yamato's panicked whisper, but she held up her hand. _Calm yourself, just breathe in, out. In, out._ She had the attacks when she was utterly flustered or scared. She felt both emotions clashing together.

She was scared because she wanted to kill Ban's father. She was unnerved because she didn't know to what extent her rage could be regulated. She started to cry. Her brother then held her tightly, pressed her against him. She embraced him, nearly choking him, but Yamato didn't mind. "Shh… I'm here, I'm always here." He still wanted to retort because she accused him of being the reason of Ban's unfortunate disposal from his family, but his sister didn't need that right now.

"Aniki…" And she continued to cry until half of her brother's shirt was soaked.

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She was crying. She pulled out tissue from the box and wept. She was sitting on the toilet seat and was staring at the yellow, tiled wall. Her mascara was unflatteringly smearing her face black, but she didn't give a damn. Hell, she was weeping for joy. She grinned while tears kept flowing. If there were a hidden camera in the bathroom, she would look for it and smile at it. Even stick her tongue out. She laughed. She was too ecstatic that she shot up and exclaimed, "I'm free!"

Giggling, she looked at the mirror and choked back the laughter. Her makeup was ruined, her dress was ruffled at the sides, and she was sweating. She shook her head and smiled. She washed her hands and carelessly dried it on her dress. Her sandy hair was formerly tied back in a ponytail, which was now flowing down her back. Bangs incessantly bugged her eyes and smudged cheeks, but she tirelessly blew it from her face and beamed again.

She splashed her face with warm water, rubbed off her makeup and wiped it later with a towel. She checked herself in the mirror, made sure that it didn't look like a tornado rolled by, and opened the door.

Sakura squealed in surprise when a silver-haired boy stood before her. He was sheepishly looking at her, staring at her with discomfort and tension, his hands twitching at his sides. He opened his mouth, but closed it again.

Slightly disoriented with the event that had just happened a few minutes ago, and immeasurable delight resulting to it, she ran to him and hugged him. Shocked beyond measure, he stood motionless, red creeping up his cheeks.

She bent slightly to be able to fit into him—she was four inches taller than he was—and whispered, "Makubex… I'm glad you're here… With me."

Confident now, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Same here." For now, he didn't care if he was shorter than she was, he didn't care about the discomforting episode that occurred before, he didn't care if she cried because the marriage was called off, he didn't care for anything else… but her.

The couple stood there, basking in each other's warmth. Their bodies merging into one; it was an uplifting sight. Jubei grinned as he watched his sister smiling for the first time since their mother broke the harsh news to them that she was getting engaged to Mido Ban back when they were in New York.

In fact, he forced himself not to hug Ban for doing a wonderful job for his sister. Not that he was gay. That was a weird prospect. Ban practically saved his sister's future and he owed him his life. Okay, that was a tad too bit extreme. Just owe him something.

But he didn't focus much on tonight's unexpected happening. He mostly stared at Kazuki. He knew that she spotted him because their eyes met the instant Ban arrived. He knew that she too didn't pay much attention to his mother's screams and Mido-san's shocking oath because they locked on each other. He felt himself standing up, coming toward her, but he heard Sakura crying.

His daze was soon over when he accompanied Sakura to the bathroom. When they were out of earshot and the spotlight on them was pointed elsewhere, she kissed him on the cheek and started to dance while she cried. And he knew that she too owed Ban for "rescuing" her. She was happy once again. They stopped when they heard footsteps approaching and she rushed to the bathroom. Jubei stood guard.

As two extravagantly dressed guests fleetingly eyed Jubei, he looked elsewhere. He tried to eye the backdoor where Kazuki currently stood, but she was nowhere in sight. When he saw a boy approaching, he, intuitively, stepped aside and hid around a corner, watching as the boy patiently stood in front of the door.

During their entire trip, Sakura was hysterically talking about Makubex. Silver-hair, blue eyes, smart, and my goodness, she was in love with a fourteen year old! Still, she loved him and that was the only picture and distraction that took her mind off the devastating engagement.

He didn't tell her about Kazuki. He sighed wearily. He leaned back on the wall, waited until the couple would leave, and closed his eyes to remember Kazuki's lovely image.

"Mind if I interrupt your pensive time?"

His eyes popped open when he heard the sweetest voice resounding in his ear. His mouth fell open when he observed and absorbed every feature of her. She was like a goddess. He tried to clear his throat but somehow the lump stuck in his throat was as stubborn as his slow head.

"H… hi." His voice was unusually hoarse and he felt a bead of sweat forming on his forehead when she giggled.

"You've ever encountered a beautiful girl before, cutie?" She grinned wider when his eyes broadened in surprise.

She was direct and dignified. Two qualities you would rarely find in a woman. Actually, in the chat room, she has always been direct, but that usually changes when you've met that particular person face to face. Why, that was happening to him at that moment.

"No… Yes! Right now! You… in front of me." Irritated, he ruffled his hair and looked the other way. _Damn it, you idiot. Say something normal!_

Kazuki knew he felt discomfited and decided to change the subject. "You know, back then, what Ban did… it was a shocker."

Jubei looked at her and understood that she needed a friend now to clear her head, both their heads. "Yeah, it was. You a friend?"

"You can say that." She sneered at him. "He can be a pain in the ass, but he's a good guy."

"I've even planned to meet up with him and thank him. He hasn't realized it, but he's made my sister's most memorable night." Kazuki cocked her head to peek at Makubex and Sakura talking frivolously. _At least they're rattling on and on…_ When she returned her attention to Jubei, she said, "Wonder how's he gonna cope with school now. This kind of news will hit the papers as fast as I'm planning to strip your pants off."

Jubei swiftly straightened, a crack of vertebrae was sounded, and his cheeks flared. Kazuki laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm not like Hevn who does what she says. You're just too tense now that I want you to relax. But I guess I did the exact opposite." She adjusted his tie and turned around. After a few steps, she turned her head to face him, "You coming or gonna brood on my unlikely proposal?"

He puffed out his cheeks and smiled. "Maybe I'll brood over it next time."

Kazuki laughed and linked her arms to his when he escorted her back to the party.

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The sky was gray and it reflected his mood that morning. He had a splitting headache and though his face slightly stung, the bruises were inconspicuous and healing. He swallowed the pills Yamato gave him and said nothing when Himiko barged into the room on her improvised electric wheelchair.

"I feel like an old timer," Himiko said as she poured milk over her bowl of cereal. Ban noticed she still wore her leg brace. In closer inspection, he saw that her left leg was thinner than the other. Almost as if deflated of meat.

"Nah. You're as vibrant as a pup who's escaped its pen after two months of imprisonment." Himiko scoffed at his use of metaphor.

"Or… would you prefer I say, a butterfly who has just flown out of its cocoon?"

"Both are cliché and stupid." Himiko turned to Ban. "You okay?"

"Sure." Ban sipped his coffee. Without looking up, he asked, "You ready for school?"

"Of course. Can't wait to crush those haughty bastards' toes if they dare mess with me." She couldn't hide her excitement, suddenly she let go of her fork and started to test her chair once more in the kitchen. Ban watched her zoom around and smiled.

"Whoa there, my little scholastic speedster, don't go turbo in the kitchen. I won't help you if you ram into the oven." Yamato chuckled when Himiko stuck her tongue out.

It was a nice change to see her in a high school uniform again. Though he was worried that if she did turbo, her skirt would reveal more than what was necessary. As if reading his mind, Ban said aloud, "Don't get overexcited about the turbo unless you want guys to steal a look of your underwear."

Himiko blushed and quickly switched off the yellow switch that was planted at the chair's left handle. She manned the control stick that was fixed on the right handle and maneuvered the chair to the table. "Don't say anything," she retorted when she saw Ban smirking at her.

When uneasy silence dominated, Himiko asked, "Sorry for bringing the topic up, but I was wondering… what're you gonna do about tuition?"

Ban was about to reply when Yamato said, "I'll pay for it."

Both of them looked at him, surprised. Yamato continued, "I'll be in charge. I've thought about it. It was partly _my_ fault that you're in this rough situation, so I want to help you. Don't deny it 'cuz I say I'm gonna handle it and I'm gonna handle it. You ain't gonna stop me. Besides, working for the government has earned me more than enough money that I've sometimes been planning to resign and retire at forty. But now, that's not an option any longer now that I have two younglings to take care of while they're still not ready to fly out of the coop." Yamato returned to his food and didn't entertain their questioning stares.

"I can take care of myself," Ban said.

"Like hell you would." Yamato put his fork down. "You'll need help, Ban. You'll need me, us. In order for you to get into a university, you need cash. Plenty of cash. Working part-time can't support you for the rest of your high school years. How much more college?"

"I'll find a way." Ban stood up but Himiko grabbed his wrist.

"Don't be a mule and listen. You know that aniki's right. You can't survive alone without aniki's help. With or without money, you'll still be walking in circles, not knowing where to head because you don't know where to go. You need guidance, not only money. And aniki can give you that." Ban didn't move but tried to wrench free from her grasp.

When Himiko let him go, he stomped to the door.

"I'm giving you help for free, Ban. Unless… you want to return the favor in some years after." Ban stopped, stared at Yamato's nape.

"What are you saying?"

"You let me help you now, you'll pay me back. That's what you'll most likely agree to. You have too big of a pride to let someone help you out of sheer good intentions with an exception of your parents." When Ban looked down in deep contemplation, Yamato walked to Ban, laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You've been my friend, even until now. This is what friends do. Help out, not taking over your life." When Ban slightly nodded, Yamato said, "So… What do you say… kiddo?"

Ban quickly looked up. Kiddo. And he remembered. Yamato called him that years ago. "Why not.?" Ban smiled. "You oversized ape."

Yamato laughed heartily. "So you still remember."

"For some odd reason, yeah."

"Hate to break up your emotional moment, but we'll be late if we don't make a move in like… one minute!" Himiko was already zooming past them, the door swung behind her.

"And to think that she hated school and vowed never to walk along the obnoxious depths of life-threatening hallways and classrooms."

"A quote?" Ban asked with an amused expression in his face.

"A quote from our very own cynical speedster." Yamato pushed Ban to the door. "Go now before you'll miss the bus."

"The school doesn't endorse picking up students in buses."

"I know. Always wanted to say this though: Kids! The bus would be here in a minute. Hurry up and brush your stinking breath, Ban!"

"Talk about harboring mother complex." Ban rolled his eyes to heaven and grinned as he ran to the bathroom and freshened up.

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Sorry for shortening it… I was in a hurry and I'm still thinking of the next chapter that's gonna happen in school.

More Ginji & Natsumi and Shido & Madoka on the next. Of course, the other couples would make a show, plus, wait till Toshiki finds out about Jubei and Kazuki's developing relationship.

What'll be the reaction of students when they see Himiko? And what would Ban's fan girls have a say on this?

And what's this? Hevn meets someone?

Find out more on the next chapter. Sorry if it's a cliffhanger, but still gotta spice up the next chapter… XD

Review… review… please gimme!


	11. Wallowing

The deafening silence was beginning to annoy Himiko in a way that she wanted to puke her guts out at her newly seen classmates' smug faces. But if she did just that, her first pitiful impression would be shattered. She knew she couldn't do that. Today was the day of compensation for the childhood that was seized from her since the accident.

She cursed silently when she caught sight of an empty seat at the back of the room beside a very familiar blonde boy's, and knew well enough whom that _honorable_ seat belonged to. Himiko ignored the teacher's initial introductions, implying that her brief preamble was coming up.

Ignoring the hushed, tinny sounds coming from huddled forms somewhere in the middle area, Himiko breathed in deeply, then closed her eyes when everyone was focusing their attention on her leg brace. She noticed that a group of boys were smirking at her and some of them were even winking at her. She threw a disgusted look at them. Consequently, that led to more boisterous approvals from friends all round and then started the trend of coquetting her, or pretending to be.

With her head slightly bent down, she tightened her hold around the armrest and tried to block out everything in front of her. She didn't even hear Mr… the teacher's reassuring voice. _Damn it!_ She instantly forgot his name. Did it start with a letter 'd' or 't'? She couldn't tell. She couldn't remember. _Oh God, help me._ She took in deep breaths and felt sweat trickling down her spine.

She squeezed her eyes shut when she sensed shadows looming above her. _Get a grip of yourself, you pathetic handicap. Just say your name, ignore those blundering bigots… all will be fine… if only Ban was here…_

"Himiko…" Her eyes quickly popped open when she heard his voice. He was kneeling before her, his hand resting on her trembling hand. Ban stared at her apprehensive purple orbs and she could tell that he was apologetic about his mysterious disappearance awhile back.

"Ye… yeah. I've been better, gotta tell ya that," she said as she pulled her hand away from his touch. This time a multitude, even braver whispers were emerging, and she fought herself from _turbo-ing_ out of the room.

"You want me to introduce you then?" Ban asked, his eyes searching hers.

Himiko slowly shook her head and smiled. "Just temporary jitters, that's all. I don't whimper for long." When Ban didn't move, she patted his shoulder and insincerely grinned. "Look. If you don't get back to your seat, rumors will be flying."

"They are now." He glared at two snickering boys and when they silenced, he nodded at Himiko to get this over with.

He walked to his seat, coolly ignoring every eye watching his every step. As he sat down, he glanced at Ginji and mouthed that they would talk later.

Sitting quietly in her wheelchair, Himiko shook her head and cleared her throat. "Good morning to y'all. My name's Kudo Himiko. Pleased to meet all of you."

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"Yo, Casanova, mind introducing your girlfriend to us?" Hevn was leaning on Ban's desk with her arms crossed over her F-sized cups and gave Himiko a once-over before turning back to Ban.

Ban languidly waved his arms around and said, "Himiko. Hevn. Hevn. Himiko. All done."

Hevn stomped her feet on Ban's crummy leather shoe and said, "Don't be a boob and tell us how you met her. Bashful here is obviously too shy to tell us because… oh right… you haven't told him either." She pointed at Ginji and jammed her polished nail at Ban. "I hear she's the _ghost_ who's seemingly back from the dead."

Ban swiped her hand away and glared at Hevn. "She was never dead." When Hevn didn't respond, Ban asked, "Why the curiosity?"

"Why," Hevn turned to Himiko and flashed a cocky grin at the confused girl. "A newbie like her needs to have friends who would tell her all the school's gossips, how to dress up fabulously, how to avoid ghastly teachers like Mr. Tanimoto, and well, know who are the people she should stay away from… ain't that right, _Casanova_."

Hearing this, both Chloe and Natsumi smacked their foreheads with tired frustration. Himiko saw this and chuckled.

"Well, ask her then, _Hippolyta_." Ban held his hands up in mocking defeat and added, "Hail the once defunct sisterhood."

Annoyed, he stood up and walked out of the classroom.

When Hevn turned her attention back to Himiko, Himiko interrupted her by saying, "Gotta go… to the bathroom. See ya." Before anyone could stop her, she switched to turbo mode and zoomed out of the room, causing screams from girls along the way as skirts flew, and boys catching a glimpse of psychedelic land.

As she paused in the hallway, scanning left and right to see a sign of Ban, she nearly screamed in horror when someone else was walking toward her. Someone disgustingly familiar.

"Hello, my purple blossom." Kagami stood a few inches away from her. He was about to kneel down but Himiko instantly reared back.

"Dare and your hallway-kill." When he only smiled, she blurted out, "I'm serious!"

"And all this time I thought you were a disturbed ghost roaming around the mansion to seek for peace or some kind of vindictive shit from the unforgiving world you were purposely _drifting_ about."

"Shut it, you disgusting troll." When Kagami was still smiling haughtily, she teasingly said, "For a pretty-boy-big shot, it'll be very humiliating when the whole school finds out that you almost pissed your pants and was actually nice to your little brother in _my_ mansion. Shame, shame for a tough guy like you, don't you agree?"

Kagami's smile faded and his eyes instantly bulged in exasperation. "You're bluffing."

"I may have posed as a ghost, but I ain't blind."

Kagami was about to close the huge gap between them but out of the corner of his eye, he sensed that Ban was pacing toward them. He tightly smiled, made a suave bow, and walked away.

Still glaring at his retreating form, Himiko didn't notice Ban creeping up behind her. "What was that about?" Himiko jumped when she heard Ban's inquiry.

Ban arched his brow in question and waited for her reply. But instead of answering him, Himiko asked, "Where were you this morning? Before we entered the classroom, I could have sworn that you were right behind me."

"Had to take a stroll to the men's room."

"Liars go to hell."

"My life already feels like hell."

"Ban…"

"Okay, okay." He motioned Himiko to follow him to a corner and said, "I figured that you were gonna experience some flashbacks, so I had to keep a close eye on you from outside. It'd be hard if I were from my seat coming down to comfort you. It would have drawn more attention."

"No, it's all just the same. I would have felt better if I knew you were there… in the room." She bent her head to hide the blush coloring her cheeks.

Ban did the same and apologized to her. "I thought it was more convenient for you that way."

"It's all right."

By the sound of her tone, Ban knew better than to believe her. "Come on, I'll show you my favorite spot."

"Uh…"

"There's one hitch though." When he made certain that Himiko was wheeling behind him, he continued, "We have to leave the chair behind."

"What?"

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"Hello?" Aggravated that someone was disturbing his gardening spell, Teshimene answered the phone after six rings. When Paul was on the other line, he brushed his soiled hands on his tattered jeans and leaned on the kitchen table. "What's up? Aren't you in school now?"

"Taking a break, but I think I should leave for today." When Teshimene didn't say anything, Paul continued in a whisper, "Hope DK's clear for today."

Instantly shocked that Paul used those initials, Teshimene straightened up and pushed the cordless phone to his ear. "What's going on? You going to Der's?"

"You're coming with me." Paul sat up when he saw a couple of teachers passing by his desk. "This is a priority. So I suggest that your flowery babies should take a nap, and you call Der."

"You've already interrupted my gardening time. But okay, I'll call Der."

"He's not gonna like this, but we have to, especially after what happened during his _special_ night."

Teshimene shook his head exasperatedly. "He shouldn't have said and meant it all at the same time. I pity Ban right now."

"Yeah, well, the ghost is back from the dead. In fact, she hasn't been dead at all."

Teshimene pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "No shit. I thought I recognized that face before. I'm sure that Kaiser noticed it too."

"No duh. He's been drinking a lot lately. That's what the missus told me." Paul amiably shook his head when a fellow colleague asked him if he wanted coffee from the cafeteria.

"How'd you find out about it?"

"She's in my class. In Ban's class."

"That doesn't sound good. And knowing Ban, the gig will be up sooner before Kaiser can stop this." As Paul cleared his messy table, Teshimene immediately added, "I'm on sick leave right now, Paul. I'm not doing those shitty favors for Der anymore. It's too dirty for my liking."

"We both feel the same way. But he's our friend."

"Yeah? Well, what he did was wrong and he deserves to mellow down. No _cheat_ can stay at the top for long."

"Teshi…"

"No. I'm not destroying the old files. After my recent bloody case, I'm not indulging myself into something that has grime written all over it. Even if it concerns the past." He interrupted Paul by returning the phone to its cradle. He walked to the fridge to grab a beer and swiftly emptied it in a minute. For what seemed like hours, he stared at the phone and then slowly picked it up.

After three rings, the person on the other end answered gruffly, "I'm busy, Paul."

"It's Teshi, Der. We're wallowing in shit again."

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"It's quiet out here. I love it." Himiko smiled up at Ban and reddened when he smiled back. Her chin was resting on the rail and she had to fight against the impulse of daydreaming about Ban's well-toned body standing beside her.

It was a cool day, and the both of them were grateful that Mother Nature decided that the sun had to boil another place instead of Shinjuku High. They were scanning the school grounds from the rooftop's point of view.

After a moment of relaxed silence, Himiko asked, "Ban?"

"Mmm?"

"Why's Hevn an ass toward you?"

Ban laughed at her description of Hevn and answered, "We dated for a couple of years in Junior High."

Himiko didn't wait for him to continue. "You dumped her for another gal?"

"She couldn't forgive me ever since."

They both laughed and went quiet when they heard the school bell ringing that break time's over.

"Five minutes," Himiko muttered when Ban was starting to the door. "You can go first."

"I'll wait. It's better here than having people staring at you with their squirming eyes and chatty traps." With his hands in his pockets, he remained a few inches behind her bent form.

Himiko only chuckled and looked up. "Reminds me of the old days."

Ban was silent when she carried on. "Blue skies, birds chirping, staring up at the clouds… just the two of us in my backyard. You talked a lot before. And we were comfortable with each other's presence. I miss that."

"You don't have to miss it, 'cuz I bet the feelings' still mutual now."

Himiko turned to face him. "Guess so."

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Ban and Himiko weren't the only ones who received detention from Mr. Tanimoto for being late for his class. Ignoring Mr. Tanimoto's authoritarian rules, Makubex smiled at Ginji and sat down with a triumphant thump. Ban's brows were raised since Makubex glided through the door, and he passed a note to Makubex.

**snakesapphires: Why the eerie, huge grin?**

**wizardx: goldenstrings and I are meeting the k's later. I'm so excited, dude!**

After reading the note, Ban smiled and crumpled the paper. That was their code whenever they wanted to communicate in class. For one reason, if the teacher caught them exchanging notes with code names, it would take a max of ten minutes for any teacher to discover the true interrupters in class. It surely worked for Mr. Tanimoto countless times.

Ban gave a two-thumbs up in Makubex's direction, and Makubex in return did the same thing. Unfortunately for them, Mr. Wet Blanket caught them and another thirty minutes in detention was in store for them on Friday.

Ban made a gesture that they were going to talk during lunch break and, Makubex enthusiastically nodded.

Wet Blanket saw them again. Another thirty minutes. The old man was going down!

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"Where's Himiko?" Ginji asked as he was choosing between a tapioca pudding or green tea ice cream for dessert.

Ban glanced over his shoulder and snickered. "With Natsumi and the others. Can't deny that Hevn has a point. Get the ice cream, I'm getting the tapioca."

"Sounds like you're over her."

"It doesn't sound like I'm over Hevn. I _am_ over her. She's the only one who isn't." Ban snatched the last pizza slice and made a fast beeline toward Shido and Makubex's table.

"Ban. Whaddya have?" Shido asked as he brought out his lunch bag.

"What does it look like I'm having? Rock-hard tapioca and greasy pizza. You?"

"Caesar salad and an apple for dessert. Want some?"

"I'll trade the tapioca for the apple."

"Deal."

When Ginji set his food tray on the table and sat down beside Ban, he asked, "You still running the anti-meat program against the cafeteria, Shido?"

"Yeah, but it isn't going well." Shido glared at Ban. "I should know because a certain somebody should be supporting my campaign. That means no meat during lunch periods."

"Oh, jeez. You're still supporting your no-meat-think-of-the-slaughtered-animals project? It's a load of bull, forget the irony there." Ban wiped his greasy lips and gulped down some water.

"Yeah? Well, we'll see who's talking nonsense after you get a heart attack after eating all those disgustingly oily chow. You look like a slobbering pig."

"Better a pig than a stifled cow." Ban took another bite of his pizza.

Shido wearily held his hands up in defeat and started wolfing down his salad. After a chewing pause, Ginji asked Ban, "How'd you know Himiko?"

Ban stopped his gnawing and looked at Ginji. Then he said monotonously, "Old friend."

When he continued to eat, Shido, Makubex, and Ginji exchanged confused looks. Before long, Kazuki and Emishi arrived.

"Uh… we weren't interrupting anything, were we?" Kazuki saw their questioning stares and was about to walk away when Ginji said, "No, course not. Sit."

He offered Kazuki a seat next to his, and smiled at her. She returned his smile and sent Ban an arched brow. "Penny for your thoughts, Ban?"

Ban suddenly looked up and smirked. "Not if it's intended for me only. What do you want?"

"You seemed to be in deep thought. I was thinking maybe you want to share… you know… especially after what happened during the other night…"

She trailed off as Ban stood up. "Have to go."

He briskly walked away, stopped momentarily when Himiko called him from her table, and then continued his trip to the door.

"He's definitely hiding something," Kazuki said as she munched down her chicken sandwich.

"Definitely." Shido frowned at her sandwich.

Kazuki rolled her eyes and said, "This is the only food that's left. What? You want me to starve?"

Shido blew out a sigh and continued to eat.

"Maybe… she can give us the answers we want." Everyone turned to where Makubex was pointing.

"Kudo. Why not?" Kazuki rubbed her chin with her free hand. She straightened up and said, "Well, boys, catch you later. Right now, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

When she left, the boys said in unison, "Hail the sisterhood."

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Kazuki was waiting in the bathroom, idly twirling a strand of her brown hair. She was chewing her bottom lip when Himiko pushed the door open. Kazuki walked over and locked the door behind Himiko. Afterwards, she spread out her arms as if flaunting a stadium packed with deafening lions and lumbering elephants, and then said theatrically, "Welcome to the girl's bathroom. Please, feel free to unwind your wheels."

"I've already unwound them while I was looking for this room." Himiko looked around, then after a minute she said, "I see nobody uses this lavatory."

"There've been reports about ghosts. And I think it's quite true as of this moment." Kazuki playfully eyed Himiko.

Himiko immediately understood the brunette's point and countered, "Flesh and bones here." She lightly pinched her arm and added, "Ain't transparent, as you can see. Unless the poor lighting here is responsible for your feeble eyesight."

"It's perfectly clear, thank you very much for your concern." When she saw that Himiko seemed rather at ease with the room's lonely ambiance, she asked, "How are Hevn and the others treating you?"

"Besides Hevn fervently pushing me to go shopping later, I can't believe that I missed so much ever since I… you know… turned 'ghost'. It's good. Natsumi and Chloe are such dolls. Hevn… she's okay, I just don't like her pushy attitude. I didn't like you either when I first saw you." Himiko's cheeks pinked when she mentioned that.

Kazuki smiled and merely nodded. "You care about him, don't you?"

Himiko turned her head and didn't say anything initially. After a moment of silence, she said, "He's a childhood friend."

"Really? No wonder he's been acting quite strange ever since he moved into the neighborhood."

"How strange?" Interested, Himiko wheeled closer toward Kazuki.

Kazuki didn't mind and continued. "Whenever he passed by the mansion, he would always be lost in a trance. It was creepy at first, but we slowly got used to it."

Perplexed, Himiko asked Kazuki, "Wait. So Ban and Hevn go way back? They've known each other before Ban transferred to Shinjuku High?"

"Pretty much. All I know is that Hevn was moody all week when Ban arrived. She was so up in arms during the whole year even. My guess is that she still loves him."

"Got that right." Himiko sighed and asked, "You wanna know about why Ban's been acting bizarre lately, huh?"

"Hope you don't mind."

Himiko gradually steered away from Kazuki's direction and stopped in front of the sink. She contemplated on what she was about to do. Was it the right thing to do? She only got acquainted with Kazuki for a few minutes ago and now she was thinking about telling this girl her past. She hardly knew her. Could she be trusted? What would Ban think if she consulted him first? Then she remembered that she was beginning to rely wholly on Ban. And she knew that she was once like that to her brother and she already vowed to herself that inclining to reliance is a huge no-no. She blew out a frustrated sigh. "How many minutes till classes start?"

"Seventeen."

"Okay then, why don't you take a seat on that rusty 'ol bowl so I don't have to strain my neck."

"Euw. Seriously?" Kazuki glanced back and glowered at the yellowish sides of the toilet bowl.

Himiko laughed and said, "Kidding."

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To be continued…

Sorry for taking so long. Two weeks to go till my last quarterly exams. Please do understand that after the tests are over, the stories will be pouring! That's a promise. Anyway, hope ya guys enjoyed it.

Review pwease!


	12. Unraveling the mystery: Part 2

Thanks so much for all your reviews, my oh so wonderful readers! Really appreciate it… XD Now, about the story… where was I?

**Enjoy!**

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After thanking Himiko and turning towards her classroom's direction, Kazuki checked her phone for messages. She smiled when she saw Jubei's name listed for three missed calls. "Ain't that sweet. The guy already misses me immediately after calling me ten minutes before I turned it off…" She whispered to herself.

Instead of phoning him, she left him a short message. _Sorry had a meeting with someone meet you later._ She never bothered with punctuations. 'Let them dissect the message, it'll help stock up their brains,' she thought to herself. After making sure that no one else sent her any messages during the two minutes of texting Jubei, she switched her phone off.

She strolled languidlyto the classroom, not paying any attention to the bell clanging along the hallway. She thought long and hard about Himiko's account of Ban. The girl was also confused about Ban's mysterious reason for keeping himself in the dark since they trespassed to the Kudo Mansion. It just didn't make sense. However, Himiko's recounting helped clear the fog a bit.

He was a childhood friend. She had an accident that involved a family feud. She and her brother feigned their supposed deaths. Ban came into the picture and everything concerning the past's amity and grudges were starting to surface. And Himiko didn't miss a detail regarding how Ban's battered face came to be. The two laughed nearly endlessly over it.

"I don't know what's going on in Ban's head," Himiko had confessed as she faced Kazuki. "I'd have to admit, I did notice his segregation with you guys, but I thought that he's always like that. He used to be a loner when we were kids."

"Maybe he doesn't want us to know about your families' shambles when it comes to that."

"You do have a point. But still… y'all his friends. He shouldn't be like that. He needs you guys, not just me and my brother, to help him, especially after… his refutation." Both girls had paused after the "r" word. "It's cruel of his father to do that… but I guess… it was his guts and monetary ego talking to him that night."

"How do you mean?"

"Think about it. If Kai—" Himiko quickly zipped her mouth shut, but Kazuki noticed this.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Himiko had brushed aside the thought (leaving Kazuki slightly bemused) and continued, "If Shin still _owned_ his son, he couldn't shut him up when necessary. Otherwise, he could hurt him."

"That's ludicrous! Mido-san will never hurt Ban if he ever found out."

Himiko coolly shook her head and snickered. It almost looked like she pitied Kazuki's sudden naiveté. "You think that way because you don't know him as well as I do." She held up a hand when Kazuki opened her mouth to speak. "My guess is that Shin recognized me and brother and knew that if Ban befriended us, his son would unfold the whole mystery of the Kudo accident. He knows his son… just as his own son knows his old man. They're very much alike, and both wouldn't back down easily. That was why they never got along properly."

Himiko steered her wheelchair to the door, not waiting for Kazuki's comeback. "Catch you later, lunch break's almost up."

But she halted when Kazuki ascertained, "You'll take care of him for the meantime, won't you?"

Without looking back, Himiko said, "Every time he walks past the mansion, I've been making sure he's all right. That says a lot, I believe." She pushed the door open and asked, "You'll let the others know, huh?"

"If it doesn't bother you." Kazuki combed her hair with her fingers.

"Maybe… you could keep this down for now. I only told you this so you wouldn't worry much about Ban's well-being."

Then she left without another word, leaving Kazuki to contemplate all by her lonesome. _Thanks anyway._

Returning her thoughts to the present, Kazuki gracelessly rolled her tongue around her front teeth and reminisced her brief chat with Himiko. There were still huge gaps that Himiko didn't want to fill in, making Kazuki feel devastated. It was obvious that Himiko didn't want to elaborate on the evening of the accident and why it happened.

Kazuki grunted in frustration and as she neared the classroom's entrance, she quickly turned the other way toward the stairs. She was too mad to face geometry as of the moment.

Like a thief in the night, she furtively climbed up the stairs, checking left and right if any teacher suddenly pounced beside her. She then reached the door with no fuss and opened it. She was lightly surprised to see someone lying there, sunbathing in fact. She walked to the prone form, and sat down beside it.

"You've been an enigma all week."

Ban opened one eye and grinned. "Skippin' classes, I see."

"You're not the only who harbors a mean streak, mind you." Kazuki squinted her eyes to the bright sky. "Why are you evading us, Ban?"

Kazuki heard Ban chuckle, and she glared at him. "Didn't know you cared," was his reply.

"As much as I hate your stuck-up-female-harvesting-agendas, you're a good guy. And I'd have to say, it's awfully nice of you to keep us in the gloom while you investigate your little family's secret…"

Out of the corner of her eye, she could sense Ban twitching uncomfortably. "Himiko told you, ei?" There was a tinge of aggravation in his voice.

"We both have sharp minds, Ban. I would have found out about it sooner than you think without Himiko's help. Besides, I wheedled her into telling me… some of it." When Ban didn't say anything, she continued, "No matter how frustrating he is, you still care. You still respect him, don't you?" Kazuki angled herself so Ban wouldn't need to strain his head to look at her. But Ban closed his eyes again.

"And they say you're a promising shrink." Still with closed lids, he said, "I don't want you to meddle in it because you already in it is bad enough."

"What are you talking about? I… we want to help you."

"Just forget it, ok?" Ban turned his head to the side and pretended not to hear her moving away.

He thought about Ginji… and his dad. There was something suspicious about Paul and Teshi's looks when he arrived at the party with the Kudos. He didn't tell Yamato or Himiko about his latest observation. He wanted to keep it a secret at present, hopefully giving him plenty of time to prove his paranoid instincts wrong.

"Whatever you say, Ban. Himiko might be wrong about your dad or she could be right about him, I can't be all too positive. But one thing's for sure. Whether you two were childhood friends or not, she didn't fill up those holes between that time and now. We did. Me, Ginji, Shido, Akabane, Makubex, Emishi, even Hevn. We know you, Ban. So don't alienate us all because you've found your old pals." Kazuki took in one long breath, and got up. "See you later."

She was near the door when she barely heard Ban say, "I've never tried to reject you guys…" She smiled and was gone.

Ban slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He checked his watch and blew out a sigh. He didn't have time to recommence classes… it was almost two. He didn't like spending his afternoon in Mrs. Toji's class. Cooking. What's up with that? Frozen packages and ice cream always satisfied the appetite. Likewise, he could borrow notes from Ginji if she required him to do a solo demonstration. Call it talent or sheer luck; he always passed with soaring colors.

He ruffled his hair and took another glance at his watch. He had more important business to attend to… like taking a trip to somewhere very familiar.

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"Damn it! Get rid of it! Every speck, every sheet, pictures—I want everything gone! I don't care how you do it, Teshi… just do it! Is that understood?" Kaiser slammed his fists on his desk and cursed when his documents flew to the floor.

"Sorry, Der… suspicions will rise, and my boss… he's gonna run me over like a tin can if he finds out that I've burned down some files. It's illegal. I believe I've done enough damage for one lifetime, Der… so I'm not doing another again." Teshi couldn't argue with Der any longer. He stood up from his chair but stopped when Kaiser pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare leave this room without me dismissing you. Otherwise, I'll have you…"

"Disowned? Sounds a little desperate, don't you think?" Teshi was beginning to boil, his temper rising by immeasurable degrees. "How could you disclaim your own son? Ban's your son!"

"Don't you dare bring him into this! That ungrateful sod deserved it!" With his auburn hair in chaotic disarray, his eyes bloodshot, he looked like a zany patient from the psychiatric ward. "Everything would have been all right if he agreed to the damn marriage. I wouldn't be in this fit if he just married the bitch Kakei's daughter. Now look…" He held up his arms to show them his pitiful appearance. "Clients… Investors are beginning to bail out on me…"

"You did this to yourself, Der…" Paul said after a minute's pause, shaking his head resignedly when Der gave him a heated glare.

Der then chuckled, causing Paul and Teshi to exchange nervous looks. "Some friends you are…" Der wobbled to the corner, picking out a wine bottle from his liquor cabinet. He gulped down two glasses and didn't hear the door close behind him as he poured a third.

"Mama already said you had too much but you still turning the deaf ear, ei old man?"

Der almost dropped the glass but caught himself at the perfect time. "You're not… supposed tah beeeeeee here." His voice was dangerously low and was beginning to sound inebriated. As he turned around, he gave his _ex_-son a sinister grin.

Teshi was approaching Der, eyed Ban to be vigilant. "Now, D—Shin…" Teshi glanced at Ban but perceived that Ban didn't hear the glitch. "You've got too much to drink. Time to hit the sack…"

"Shut up… ya trai…tow… I dooooooo not need yar help…" Der plopped on his leather chair and leaned back, causing the chair to creak under his unanticipated, submissive weight. His face was ruddy with too much booze and was tilting uncomfortably to the side, almost as if it would detach from his neck. "Yooooooo all fools…. Ya here? Smmmmugggg is what youz rrrrrr….. damn all of youz tah HELL!" He was starting to giggle, prompting Miaka to enter the room.

She gasped when she saw Ban in the room, who was watching his father solemnly. Paul made a gesture to her to leave the room now. She hesitated at first, but conceded. As she closed the door behind her, Teshi tapped Ban's shoulder. "Let's go, Ban. You can't get any from him as of now."

Ban didn't budge. He then shrugged off Teshi's hold. "You burn in hell, old man…"

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"That wasn't very nice, Ban." Teshi signaled to the waitress that they were ready to order. They were at an unfamiliar coffee shop and Ban couldn't remember the name. He didn't care likewise. He waited until Teshi finished with the waitress and then muttered, "He's garbage, just proved it only awhile back."

Teshi was about to retort when his phone rang. He held up a finger and pressed the "Answer" button. "How is he?"

"Looks dead if you ask me." Paul continued to rub Miaka's back consolingly. He stiffened when she leaned her head on his chest, her tears wetting his favorite shirt. He furiously blushed, was thankful that Teshi didn't see his discomfort. After all these years, Miaka has always been the most beautiful…

"Paul?"

"Yeah! Right… Miaka's in good hands. And Ban?"

"Gazing into space. We'll talk later?"

"We can't do otherwise, ei? D's wrong about us though…" He abruptly stopped when Miaka sobbed even louder. Paul ended the connection.

Teshi smirked. _But he could be right… you've only stuck around to watch over Miaka. As for me, let's just say, he's got a greedy soul and I'm the lax angel watching over… just watching. _

He returned the phone to his pocket and folded his arms. "What's happening?"

"I've made old friends." Ban leaned back as the waitress set his decaf in front of him and an ice-cold beer on Teshi's side.

"Oh ei? Care to elaborate on that?"

Ban raised an eyebrow. "Kudo Yamato and Himiko. Know them by any chance?"

Teshi had to smile. "Planning to be a daunting detective, ei? Fits your profile and mindset perfectly." Teshi took a sip from his glass and continued, "Names sound familiar…"

"You've seen them… at the party."

Teshi tapped a finger to his chin, feigning to think hard. "The tall broad guy and petite girl? They seem… amicable." Teshi could sense Ban's temper escalating and he had to grin. "No matter how much you deny him, he's still your father, meaning you two are very much alike."

"Don't beat around the burning bush and tell me what you know about the Kudo incident." Ban didn't touch his drink, just continued staring into Teshi's amber eyes.

Teshi heavily sighed, and for the first time since they've arrived at the shop, he moped. "No escaping this, ei? And by the sounds of it, you know hints of the happening. Alrighty… guess I have to tell you everything." _Most of it…_

"Why don't you start by telling me how you knew the bastard?"

"The bastard you are referring to is your father. Stick to it. We were good friends back in high school… that includes your father, Paul, and me. He was a fun dude back then. Liked to get the both of us in trouble, while Paul was the teacher's pet, always getting us out of a muddle." Teshi tipped his head back and smiled. "Shin was bit of a brat, and had a nasty temper if you mess with him." Ban made a grumbling noise in his throat, but Teshi ignored him. "But he loved money… that was the catch. If I could still remember it correctly, his motto might have said, 'Five hundred Yen a day makes daddy go away…' Never understood the daddy part though… but on second thought, he hated his dad too. Was a nicotine and booze addict, always beat Shin and your grandmother up. I think you know what that can do to the mind…?"

Ban gradually nodded. He didn't have the chance to meet his paternal grandparents. They passed away as soon as he opened his eyes to the hospital ward. Well, that was how his mom told him. Ban stirred his coffee lazily and asked, "You having a problem enunciating the old man's name?"

Teshi cocked his head to the side as if bemused. _Sharp kid… damn! _"Mind refreshing my memory?"

"You were about to call him "De" but you quickly bit it back. Thinking it over closely, 'd' and 's' don't rhyme. So what? You have code names all of a sudden and don't want to tell the kid 'cuz you're afraid that'll blow his cover? Well, in case you still want to hide the dark truth, it's currently shelling up."

Teshi wearily shook his head and gulped down more beer. "Mido Shin is a sham—"

"Uncle Teshi?" Teshi jumped when he saw Kazuki approaching their booth. He cursed silently when she brought the entire posse. Ginji and Shido inched toward Ban, who in turn gave them the evil eye. Teshi knew that look and shifted uneasily toward Ban. "Ban… calm down."

Through gritted teeth, Ban hissed. "I don't have time for this."

"What's going on here, Ban?" Ginji asked, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. He glanced at his father then at Ban. "Why'd you skipped classes again? Mrs. Toji was so nutty that she gave you an F for missing her pop quiz."

"Shut up." Ban dug out his wallet and slammed the bill on the table. "I'm done here." He squeezed his way out of the crowd and stopped long enough to give Teshi a sign that they weren't finished. Himiko followed his momentary gaze and blinked her eyes when she spotted Teshi. She knew that face. Teshi met her stare and tried to look as apologetic as ever. She scowled at him and followed Ban's route.

As soon as he was out the door, he breathed in three lungfuls of air before walking away from the café. He stopped when a boy and a girl called out to him. He faced them and recognized them instantly: Kakei Jubei and Sakura. He made a short bow and waited until they caught their breath.

Jubei was first to acknowledge Ban. "Hi, my name's Ju—"

"I know. You're Jubei and you're my ex-fiancée." He smiled at Sakura, who was blushing. Sakura cleared her throat and took Ban's hand in hers. "We are truly sorry for what happened that night. We didn't mean for it to happen…"

"Apology accepted and no need for thanks." He courteously slipped his hand away from hers, and said, "Girls are not the only ones who could undergo cold feet." He was about to walk away when Himiko t_urboed _to him. "Mido Ban. You stop right there!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ban gave a theatrical salute to Himiko. Himiko smacked him in the belly and scowled. "What have you been up to?"

By the sound of her voice, the Kakeis left them alone but gave Ban a smile before they made a complete exit to the café's door.

"Now look what you've done, you scared those nice folks away…" Ban smirked down at her.

"Don't play sly with me, Ban. I can be just as good a detective as you are." She motioned Ban to follow her into an alleyway. When they made sure they were out of earshot, Himiko asked, "What have you been doing with one of Shin's men?"

"Having some drinks with the guy. Hope that doesn't offend you." Ban leaned on the concrete wall, kicking a can out of his way and consequently scaring a cat off from a foul dumpster.

"Actually it kinda did." Himiko veered to him and frowned at him. "He said something, didn't he?"

Ban didn't look at her. "More like something happened. But I'm not talking about it… I'm afraid that you might squeal out on me if I told you so."

"What? What are—" She stopped, narrowed her eyes. "Kazuki told you?" It was more of a confirmation than a question. Ban still didn't meet her hard gaze.

"No. I'm a good detective, remember?" Ending the discussion, he bent over and brushed his lips over hers. "See you later."

Stunned and faintly perplexed, Himiko only stared at his retreating form. She touched her lips, and felt that they were still warm with his departing breath. Her cheeks felt hot too. Out of nowhere, Ginji appeared behind her and asked, "Himiko-san?"

"That asshole!" She didn't care whether Ginji jumped in surprise or froze in mild horror when he heard her curse for seemingly no reason. "He frigging kissed me to make me stop asking questions. I'll kill him!" She instantly switched to turbo mode and whizzed past a very bemused Ginji.

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Shido waved the gang goodbye and jogged toward the intersection where he had met Madoka. He apologized many times for blocking some pedestrians' way but he had to see her sweet face once more. Each day seemed to have gnawed at his inner core, every minute of passing this route irritated him for the reason that she didn't come through this fork below the traffic light for two straight days.

He tousled his bristly black hair, neither tidying it back nor messing it up. It was hip as is and suited him handsomely. Frustrated, he grunted lowly and kicked a tattered plastic bag off his shoe's sole. When he was able to sweep it off with his other shoe, he turned only to bump into someone else.

Madoka landed on her bum and let out a soft groan. Shido immediately went to her side and helped her up. Bearing in mind the fact that he was extremely embarrassed for making her fall for the second time, he apologized solemnly. She shook his head and stared up at him, not exactly seeing him.

"How are you, Shido-kun?" Shido smiled. She remembered his name.

"Fine, thanks." He sheepishly scratched his head, then noticed Mozart sniffing his pants. "Hello, Mozart."

Mozart looked up and just wagged his tail. Shido patted the dog's head and then gave Madoka his whole attention. "Um… I see you haven't been walking past this route for quite awhile."

Madoka bent her head as if seeking an apology, then said, "I'm sorry. I was quite busy because I have a recital coming. It's going to be held tomorrow night at the Shinjuku Theatre… and I was wondering… um… well…" She stopped when a buzzing sound droned from her purse. "Hold on…"

"_Yes? Ah… Mr. Kuranimo. I am so sorry… I—… of course, of course… I'll be there as fast as I can… yes, yes… I haven't forgotten about the recital… no, sir… I am so sorry. Okay…"_

She clicked her phone off and sighed. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's all right. I hear that you have to be somewhere very important?"

She blushed as he mentioned this. "It's my teacher. He wants me to return because… I sort of left him… actually, I asked for a walk break… but I guess I lost track of time…"

"Then before he plans to mark you as a lying lazy student, you better go…" He sounded utterly disappointed and Madoka noticed it. She lightly smiled and said, "Of course… there's a reason why I wanted to take a walk in the first place."

She dug out an envelope from her purse and handed it to him. "I'd decided that giving it to you personally is much cordial than mailing it to you." She bowed her head and started walking away. "I hope you'll come…"

She was fast. He didn't even remember how long he stood there, watching her form idly from a distance. He nearly punched himself for not bidding her goodbye. Shido quickly averted his gaze to the envelope. As if his entire future depended on it, he tore it open and read it.

_Shido-kun, I would like to personally invite you to my recital tomorrow night at the Shinjuku Theatre. I am truly sorry if this was only handwritten; I ran out of invitations. I hope you understand. Also, you may invite any of your friends. I've made sure that there are five more seats to suit you and your comrades this coming evening. I really tried my best but five was the limit. I sincerely wish that you could make it. Thank you._

Madoka 

_P.S. Attire is shirt and tie for men and cocktail dresses for women if it's not too much worry. _

Shido lovingly smoothed the invitation and carefully slipped it back in the envelope. He grinned all the way home.

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"Are you alone?"

Before answering, Teshi locked the back doors, engaged the alarm system, and secured the curtains. Being a detective wasn't the most relaxed profession ever known to man. Now being a part-time gardener… that was a different story. Teshi shook away that thought. "Positive. And Miaka?"

"All the crying zapped the energy out of her…" Paul tiredly sat on the couch and crammed the phone between his left jaw and shoulder so he could take off his shoes. "So… got any propositions to suggest?

"Except to tell Ban the truth? None… unless you got any bright ideas."

"I'm empty this time… all this deceit is making me feel old." Paul stretched his back; a crack in the lower vertebrae immobilized him momentarily. He yawned and leaned on the couch's armrest. "But I could swig a dozen cans of beer right now…"

Suddenly, Paul heard footsteps thudding softly down the stairway. "Paul?"

"In the living room," he called out. Miaka appeared in the doorway, her hair disheveled and her mascara smeared all over, nonetheless…

"Still daydreaming how Miaka would look beneath her gown ei?" Teshi let out a hoot then before Paul could retort, he ended the call. He stared at the phone then made his way to Ginji's room.

Ginji was reading a book, his eyes oddly stuck to one specific area of a page. The boy marked the page and sat up. "Can't sleep."

"I can see that. But that doesn't give you an excuse to spy on your pseudo-dad." He sat beside his son and ruffled Ginji's hair when the boy blushed a very deep shade of red. "Sorry… I was only wondering because… maybe if I knew, I could understand Ban… better."

"Apology accepted for now… about Ban…" Teshi rubbed Ginji's shoulder and said, "He's having a hard time. All he needs right now is some alone time." Ginji slowly nodded but Teshi could see the effusive concern and sadness in Ginji's eyes. "Just give him time, okay?"

Ginji only nodded and Teshi knew that the boy was less than half convinced. Teshi sighed. "Wanna hear a Teshi-remade story… just between the both of us though? As father and son…" Ginji's gloomy expression instantly lightened up. He always did when Teshi started that sort of intro. It was one of their engaging, happiest, most intimate moments together.

"Of course! Pinky promise!" Teshi laughed at Ginji's abruptly reawakened exuberance then exaggeratedly rolled his eyes. They entwined their pinkies together then stuck their tongues out at each other. Teshi suddenly felt like he traveled back in time; the same episode ten years ago whenever they made a promise to each other.

His arms now hugging his knees, Ginji clamped his mouth shut so as not to distract Teshi's story. Teshi cleared his throat then began, "Once upon a time, there was a family called the Kaisers. They were rich, powerful, and popular. Of course I'm talking about the father, mother, and son. But what makes them rich in the beginning? Money is always the selfish answer, ei? So, the father struggles with his business, which is doing very well. But he isn't satisfied with mere average. He wants to gain more than that. That was why, he made close relations with another man, who was also a family guy. Both their children grew very attached to one another, specifically Kaiser's son and the other guy's daughter." He paused to take in a long breath. He moved to Ginji's bedside table and held up a glass of water. Ginji enthusiastically nodded and Teshi drained it down his parched throat.

Refreshed, he nodded in thanks, continued, "Now… about the scheme Kaiser was planning… he knew that the man was working for the government, and by devious chance, during that time he discovered that the government was making a program where they could determine other parties' dealings globally without the targets ever knowing them _looking_ in. Now, if it came to Kaiser's hands, he could easily put other businesses out with just a snap."

"Man, that guy sounds like an insatiable madman. What happened to his son though?"

Teshi hid a smile. "He's dead."

"What? How?"

"The Kaisers died a long time ago. There was an accident, you see. They died along with it. But the CD that contained the overall program… well, it was never found."

"Maybe the government is using it as we speak but thought of concealing the truth to the public."

"That's a possibility. But if that were the case, Japan would be the freaking most powerful nation in the world. Like the king of the planet perhaps. But we're currently lagging behind China economically—a sign that the Japanese dream is foiled." Teshi grinned at Ginji. "That ends the story I guess…" He tousled Ginji's hair one more time and headed out the door.

"You never mentioned the other family. What happened to them?"

"They died too." He closed the door and went to the kitchen only to consider Paul's earlier craving. "Could really use a dozen bottles of beer…"

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To be continued… XD


	13. Over and Done

Ban peeped into Yamato's room. Empty. No life was present at the moment but the room was chaotically inundated with empty food packages, pieces of crumpled paper, and gaping books. He called out twice. No one answered him. He whispered a word of thanks, was already crossing the threshold when Himiko's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You little no good snake! How dare you trick me! And what do you think you're doing creeping into Aniki's room?" Himiko's cheeks were flushed, a very similar comparison to her current burning stare.

"Um… just checking out if he's around because dinner doesn't seem to be ready yet, unless you're making it." He was making a move to close the door but Himiko inched closer. "You can't fool me. What do you want from him?"

She knew that his intention didn't concern money. It considered something deeper, darker. She wanted to know it too, the reason behind the damn accident. But she had to ask Ban one question first. "You think Aniki has something in there that would point us to the favored direction?"

Ban pursed his lips as if he was sworn to an oath. He shifted slightly to the right, avoiding her stare darting at him. "He knows something… and you do too." Ban faced her. "Mido Shin isn't his real name, is it?"

Nonplussed, Himiko squirmed in her wheelchair. She was about to say something when they heard footsteps thumping towards them. "It must be hard to discover that your name is bogus, ei?" Emerging from the shadows, Yamato walked calmly towards them, a paper bag in his right grip and shades in his left. He pocketed the tinted glasses in his shirt's pocket and smiled. "You two are really persistent." He shook his head as if remorseful and lightly pushed Ban aside as he was making his way to the door. "After you both…"

Ban and Himiko were standing next to the door, watching Yamato move his stuff to one side, creating a mountain of myriad pedantic paraphernalia in the corner. He then motioned them to stay in the middle. Ban hesitantly obliged and when Yamato just moved to his desk to switch on his laptop, Ban exaggeratedly cleared his throat. "So… what's about the Mido name being a fake?"

Still not turning around, Yamato said, "Nothing much, only that it's not your real name."

"And how is that possible?"

Now Yamato tilted his head to the side. "It was a cover to conceal the Kaisers having anything to do with the accident." His tone grew monotonous, annoying Ban by the second.

"Kaisers?" Ban folded his arms and his forehead wrinkled in utter confusion. He tried to remember, tried to say it aloud, but not a shard from his memory that evoked "Kaiser" sprung up.

"Kaiser. Ban Kaiser is your actual name." Yamato paused, waiting for Ban to absorb this fact slowly. After a minute, he added, "Come here."

Gradually Ban approached the desk, standing before the laptop's bright screen. From there, he saw a multiple of screens showing the vacant foyer, the balcony, Himiko and Ban's room, the kitchen, elevator, and the many unknown and unfamiliar places of the Kudo Mansion. Ban looked up in question. "What does this have to do with _Kaiser_ and the whole damn fiasco?"

"Mmm… just about everything." And then a tear fell from Yamato's eye.

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"Elena? I'm home!" Hevn dropped the huge shopping bags on the floor and crashed on the sofa. She lazily slipped off her high heels and blew out a sigh. She heard shuffled footsteps coming to her. Without opening her eyes, she said, "Please tell Daddy that he better not try to lecture me about last night's night out… tell him to shove his meaningless words up his fat arse."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" A male voice said above her. When she opened her eyes, he grinned. "Hello."

"Well, well, if it isn't… currently thin-ass Eiji." She stood up and _inspected_ him from head to foot. "You look slimmer than the last time I saw you." And my, my, so damn sexy, he was right now. Eiji was one of the interns at the Shinjuku Medical hospital; they met once last year when she had to bring her father's lunch to the surgeon ward. And as of the moment, Eiji was an inch away from earning a doctoral degree. "What brings you to our humble home?"

Eiji idly touched the porcelain vase on the coffee table. "Humble is the wrong word to describe your home. More like fragile."

He looked very much like Ban, but less obnoxious thank God for that, she thought. "Quit stalling and please answer my question. Is Daddy home?"

"No, your dad's at work. I'm here to fill in Elena's shoes."

"You don't look like you could pass a maid's profile." Hevn arched a brow at him. Eiji did the same and smiled, making Hevn swoon inwardly. "Asked in for a favor. Elena called, said something like she had to leave temporarily because of a family emergency while I incidentally was in the room, attending a patient. He told me straight away that he would pay extra and up my points if I didn't refuse his offer. So I'd agree."

Hevn smirked slyly. "You sound like such a selfish bastard. I'm afraid that I can't succumb my life to a greedy doctor who'd only think of himself and money."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong, my fair lady. That patient was my last for the day and I don't need your father's points to help me earn my degree." He inched closer until their noses were inches apart from each other. "You're a challenge, did you know that?"

"Ever since Elena was hired ten years ago." Then she closed the gap between them by kissing him. When she stepped back, she cocked her head to one side. "So you're my new babysitter for the night till busy Daddy comes back?"

"Not if you prefer a nurse to take over instead." He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a deep smooch in the lips. After a minute or two of passionate lip-lock, Hevn pushed a finger to his lips. "A nurse can never kiss as good as you just did." Man oh man! She can't believe that she was flirting with a practitioner. She nearly kicked herself for thinking so but could she not help it? Here was a guy, older than her by eight years, extremely cute and gorgeous, and knew how to play his cards well. She knew it wasn't love, just infatuation. Mere infatuation. Yet she was currently pulling him to the stairs. Just having fun. This wasn't love. Plain mischief. They were near her bedroom door and she was already tugging his shirt's collar. Mischief and infatuation. Nothing more than that definitely, she was thinking.

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"Jubei. Toshiki. Toshiki. Jubei." Smiling, Kazuki excused herself when Sakura pulled her over to the sales rack.

They were still staring at each other, not bothering to say anything. Jubei sized up Toshiki, narrowed his eyes at the blond when he wholly recognized the familiar face in the picture Kazuki sent him. Toshiki, on the other hand, did the same, tagging Jubei as an ultra menace against his _relationship_ with Kazuki.

They hardly blinked when Makubex waved a hand in front of their faces. "Hello? Are you two gonna shake hands or shall I leave you guys to continue your battle of the stare?" Makubex crossed his arms, waiting for their answers. They finally nodded grimly and turned the other way: Jubei sitting on the bench while Toshiki looking for Kazuki.

Since Makubex never liked Toshiki one bit, he went over to Jubei. "What's up?"

"I don't fancy that guy, that's up." Jubei scowled when he saw Toshiki moving towards Kazuki. Makubex noticed this and nudged Jubei's shoulder. "So?"

Jubei turned to Makubex. "So what?"

"Aren't you going to beat him to it?"

As if confused, Jubei raised an eyebrow. Makubex rolled his eyes and said, "Well, Toshiki is very determined to win Kazuki's heart over. And I dare say, they are pretty close. And although Kazuki has never admitted having mutual feelings for the quarterback, you'll never know. Especially when you haven't made a move to charm her affections." When Jubei didn't respond, Makubex clarified, "If you don't make a move, it'll just make the girl feel that you're not interested… so she'll resort to whoever's available."

Suddenly Jubei shot up and ran to where Kazuki and Sakura were chatting animatedly. Toshiki saw Jubei eyeing him warily and also made a run to Kazuki. The male duo instantly stopped right in front of the girls, causing both girls to start aback. Toshiki hastily pushed Jubei aside to give himself more room but Jubei immediately countered it.

"Move, shades boy!" Toshiki hissed and shoved Jubei as he started towards Kazuki. Jubei pushed him too and growled, "You move it, you yahoo…" They continued shoving and cursing each other, disregarding stares from nosy shoppers and a chuckling Sakura. Kazuki was frowning at them, her lips pursed and arms poised at her sides.

"Guys…" she started, her voice threateningly soft.

They still ignored her, glaring at one another. After the third try of getting their attention, Kazuki moved closer and snapped a finger in front of their faces. When their eyes ultimately locked onto hers, they stood very still. Toshiki even attempted to smile, but Kazuki scowled at him. "You two are so immature."

As silence prevailed over them, Kazuki angrily turned toward the exit, pulling Sakura on the way. When the couple still didn't stir, Makubex approached them, teasingly shaking his head. "You two are so immature…" he said wryly.

Kazuki and Sakura gasped when they heard Makubex scream from the boutique and were forced to stomp back in the shop. So, this was the last time Kazuki ever visited the Rampage.

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Kazuki still ignored them when they arrived at her home. As she opened the front door, she exclaimed, "I'm home! Mom?" She slipped off her shoes; the others followed suit and then they stood immobilized when a woman in her thirties appeared through the doorway on the left.

Kazuki was definitely the parallel copy of her mother. Even the flawless elegance of her walk and hospitable gestures reminded them instantly of Kazuki. Only hitch were the eyes. Mrs. Fuchoin's eyes were gray, yet essentially warm.

Jubei and Sakura bowed discreetly in Kaiko's direction and Kaiko in turn did the same. When they finally looked up and smiled, Kaiko said, "So… you two must be the New Yorkers?"

Sakura nodded and smiled. Jubei, on the other hand, tried to look away, avoiding Kaiko's eventual gaze on him. Kaiko noticed the young man looking away and chuckled. She walked toward him, gently brushed his forelocks aside, and said, "You must be Jubei. Kazuki told me so much about you." Jubei uneasily shifted, but he struggled to smile as sincere as possible. She backed two steps and asked, "Shall I prepare the tea then?"

Kazuki shook her head. "If you guys would be so kind and wait, I'll prepare the tea." She motioned them through the doorway where Kaiko previously emerged from and quickly sauntered to the kitchen. Kaiko then noticed Makubex's mangled hair and creased shirt and approached him. "Hard to see as you as a higgledy-piggledy kind of young man, Makubex."

Makubex let out a forced laugh and consciously scratched him nape. "Well… I… uh…" He noticed Toshiki glaring at him and Jubei evading Makubex's gaze. "I tripped into a sales rack…" He laughed, but nobody joined him. He quickly stopped and excused himself. He rushed to the bathroom and hastily locked the door. Kaiko raised an eyebrow and asked, "Was that true?"

Only Toshiki nodded, but Sakura and Jubei kept their heads down. All of a sudden, Kazuki called out, "Tea's ready!" And with that said, Kaiko smiled and whispered, "You kids feel at home now." She made her way up the stairs, but then turned around at the right time to see Jubei staring at her. When their gaze met, Jubei quickly stormed into the living room, leaving Kaiko to smile by herself. _He seems nice enough…_

When Makubex returned, his hair was slightly wet yet tidier than before, and his shirt was still wrinkled but spotted with water at the neckline. Kazuki was talking to Sakura but stopped when Sakura held Makubex's hand and squeezed it tenderly. She combed his hair back but his bangs stubbornly fell into their previous position, swaying in front of his eyes. "You should trim them before they prick your eyes."

Makubex just brushed them aside and said, "If I do, it'll look like a girly bob."

The couple started to chat animatedly, leaving Kazuki to her own thoughts. She turned her head slightly to look at Jubei but Toshiki blocked her line of sight as he inched toward her. She frowned inwardly but smiled when he apologized. "It's okay. But next time, try to control your temper and DON"T dump Makubex into the rack, all right?"

Toshiki smirked and said, "Yeah, well… the brainiac was getting on my nerves."

"That doesn't give you a right to throw him into the rack. Now I can't show my face in that store ever again!"

"C'mon, they only gave a warning. Not a banned note."

"But still…" Kazuki gave up and scowled at him. "Leave me alone."

His jaw fell and he was speechless. A triumphant feat Kazuki couldn't achieve before and she nearly danced the victory hoo-hah when she saw Toshiki moving away. But then she also felt guilty as she observed Toshiki hunched in the corner. She sighed wearily and walked toward the bummed Toshiki and patted his arm. She was about to say sorry and it was just a bluff when he turned the other way and hissed, "Leave me alone."

Incensed beyond measure, she slapped his arm and stomped out of the living room. She climbed up the stairs but stopped at the top when she heard Jubei calling her. She stood where she was and attempted to smile but gave up. "Need anything?"

"Talk, if you don't mind."

She rolled her eyes and stopped two steps before landing on the floor level. "What?"

"I'm sorry if I was also the cause for turning the store into a mini-basketball court." It was hard to see Jubei's expression considering his shades were covering his eyes. But she knew guilt was consuming inside of him… unlike someone who should be. She could feel herself reddening, but she brushed her cheeks and then smiled at him. "You shouldn't feel as bad as you do now. You're not wholly liable to what happened."

He looked up but she still couldn't see his eyes. Unexpectedly, he kissed her. He moved back when Kazuki stood fixed, her eyes adorably wide, and her lips slightly parted. Then her eyes fell on him and a smile began to form. "That was my first kiss, you know."

"Me too." Jubei was about to hold her limp hand when they heard a door bang from behind. Kazuki ran out the door only to see Toshiki running away, and she could have sworn she saw tears streaming down his red cheeks as he ran along the sidewalk. She called out, but he kept running. And he was gone.

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"You jerk! I can't believe you did this! You! Of all people… you! You did this to me!" Ban pulled Himiko away from a dazed Yamato. For a handicap, she seriously can fight. Yamato wiped blood from his ripped lip and stood up, tears slowly falling down but he also wiped them away. They barely heard him apologize for the reason that their minds sank to somewhere in the past. They couldn't believe their ears when Yamato told them about the insidious disc…

Flashback: 

"Kudo. I know what the government is planning." Kaiser was trying to hold back his temper and so far, he was doing a good job at it. He took in two deep breaths and continued, "I know about the disc."

Kudo wasn't surprised. He had been keeping a sharp eye on Der ever since the man continually visited the Kudo residence every now and then. For some things, the both of them had very little common interest about personal issues and Der was already suspicious from the beginning. And even if Kudo felt this way, he didn't push Der away. He kept playing along. Why? Guilt maybe? Maybe it was true. He didn't wish to participate in the government's latest project, but what choice did he have, especially if his contract lasted for eternity?

But Der had by now gone too far. No one could have the disc. Not even himself. "Sorry, Der. The disc is prohibited to any interloper. Not even the entire government personnel know about it. If you want to live, you'll concede and stop coming back to my doorstep. And that, I'm afraid, includes your son."

"I don't fuckin' care about that pretentious clod!" Kudo was shocked by how Der described his own son. Kudo was about to interrupt Kaiser, but Der beat him to it. "I will have it one way or the other. And I don't care how intimidating the government can get. I will, I will get that disc and nobody will stop me. Not even if that _boy_ was tied to a post, swinging over his death."

Then Kaiser stormed out, pulling his son away from Himiko. Kudo saw Himiko being pushed recklessly and that was the last straw. Nobody would dare hurt his child, especially some bastard such as Kaiser. He almost pitied Ban as he saw the boy shouting for Himiko. But it was out of his hands. Not to mention that he was too furious to care. He shouted and kept shouting at Kaiser. He didn't even notice Yamato looking at him. Looking and hearing everything that had transpired in their kitchen. The boy was now hugging his sister protectively and simultaneously looking at his father. Yamato knew all along and started to devise plans of his own to bring the Kaiser Empire to its fall since that fateful day.

2 years later…

Der quickly jotted down the address on a crumpled paper. He cancelled all his appointments for the afternoon and phoned a hired, professional investigator some instructions. He needed to make sure that the caller was speaking the truth. He had to take extra careful measures this time, unlike two years back…

He furiously sighed as he remembered that eventful afternoon. So, Kudo knew his scheme the entire time and Der regrettably felt like an idiot for acting too blatant about his intentions. This time he would be more meticulous, watchful. Not to mention that he was grudgingly conspiring against that bastard Kudo all this time. Der smirked at the thought. Yes, the Kudos would pay for humiliating me, he thought.

A knock on the door pulled him back to the present. "Der?" Miaka hesitantly crossed the threshold.

"Come in, dear." He tenderly grabbed her hand and kissed her on the lips.

As if shocked by how gentle his touch was, she arched a brow. "Was there something in your eggs?"

"Not at all." He grinned. Yes, the Kudos would pay for making him feel like an idiot. "We'll be rich…" he murmured.

"What?"

"Nothing." Too ecstatic to care, he didn't hear Miaka's inquiry for the third time. When she patted his cheek, he finally looked at her. "Yes?"

"Don't forget about tonight's charity ball."

Blinking several times, he seemed uncomprehending about her reminder. Miaka rolled her eyes and said, "The ball. It's tonight." She started to move away from his grip around her and frowned at him. "I already picked up your suit from the cleaners and it's right there, hanging behind you." She pointed at the plastic-coated suit hanging by the bedroom door.

He scowled at the memory and said, "Can't go. Got very important things to take care of." He moved toward his desk and gathered his documents to one side.

Miaka hollowly laughed. "Not this time. You and I are going." But she suddenly gasped. "Oh right, we can't…" She nearly slapped herself for forgetting about it. She sighed sadly. "Well, hopefully there's still next year." Another social evening and enlightening gossips lost for the night.

Curious, Der turned to her. "What's wrong."

"The Kudos are invited too. And with your temper, I doubt they'll escape from there unscathed. Anyways…" She took the suit from the door and walked to the closet. "Money so not well spent…" She slid the closet door open and hung the suit with the rest of Der's priced suits. She didn't close it but faced Der. "Now, hopefully we can bond like a real family—"

"Can't." He stood up and ran out the door, leaving Miaka bemused and angry.

"Der!" But the front door closed with a shocking bang behind him.

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"You certain you don't want to come along?" Mr. Kudo asked as he wrapped his wife's mink coat around her bare shoulders. Himiko was running toward the foyer and was jumping like a restless puppy. "C'mon! Let's go. Let's go! You said there would be food."

Mrs. Kudo bent down and straightened Himiko's dress. "Now, now, stand straight before you start sweating and smelling like a sweaty sock." Himiko stuck her tongue out, laughed when her mother lightly poked her in the belly. "Mom! I can fix myself." Himiko started moving away when Mrs. Kudo tidied Himiko's pigtails.

Mr. Kudo averted his gaze from his beloved women and looked expectantly at Yamato. "Well?"

"You know how much I hate going to charity balls. I'll die just smelling other women's perfume."

Himiko ran to her brother and yelled, "You're such a killjoy!"

"And you are such a hog. I bet that you'll gorge down all the food long before any of the guests could get their polished hands on a plate." Yamato dodged Himiko's harmless blows and pushed her head away when she started to ram against him.

Mrs. Kudo immediately pulled Himiko away and said, "Yamato, stop teasing your sister. You know how sensitive my baby girl is…" Mrs. Kudo lovingly brushed Himiko's bangs aside but Himiko pushed away from her mother's touch.

"Mom! I can take care of myself." Himiko tried to adjust her pigtails when Mr. Kudo patted her on the head. "C'mon now… we can't let the food wait, can we?"

Hearing this, Himiko ignored her hair and sprinted to the car. "Mom! Dad! Let's go!"

Yamato shook his head and bid his parents goodbye. Before he closed the door, Mr. Kudo wagged a finger at him. A sign that a party and staying up later than curfew were prohibited while they were gone, and if Mr. Kudo found out that his son was disregarding their stipulation, severe grounding was in store for the youth.

"Got it, Dad." Yamato nodded his head and smiled. Mr. Kudo bobbed his head curtly and turned around when Himiko pressed the car honk. Then the Benz was off a minute later.

Half an hour later, Yamato stepped out the door and sauntered to the garage. He pried it open and took out his car keys from his pocket. He opened his Saab's door and got in, tucking the keys in the ignition. As soon as he drove off, he tapped his breast pocket, made sure that the object was with him. He didn't turn on the radio, but whistled throughout the drive to the car park. _Dad never said that I couldn't go out and do a little mischief while they were gone…_

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Der cursed silently as he scanned his watch for the nth time. He twitched uneasily when a bat flew overhead and he almost stumbled backward as the wind nearly threw him off as it blew wildly in his direction. He tapped his earpiece closer when a voice whispered to him that a Saab was parked nearby and a lone figure emerged from it. Hearing this, he affirmed his attention and adjusted the gadget, making sure that it was concealed from less than a meter's eyeshot.

He heard muffled footsteps approaching him through the thick, lush lawn. His gaze followed the stranger's every stride along the gloomy park. The shadows concealed the stranger's imminent figure, prompting Der to squint his eyes to hopefully have a better look of him. But the bastard was wearing shades. He cursed again. Yet he smiled inwardly.

If anything went wrong, he had a premeditated loophole anyhow.

He smiled as the stranger shook his hand. They exchanged curt hellos and the stranger asked gruffly for the cash. Even if their surrounding was overcast, Der could tell that this stranger was still very young. Probably in his early twenties. Der grew highly suspicious.

"Disc first, then the money." The youth was taller than him by three inches, but Der didn't allocate the youth's serious, impassive look to intimidate him. Instead, he tightened his brows and lips.

"Fine." The youth's voice wasn't reluctant. Der mused over this while he switched on his laptop. Either he's giving me the real thing or he's a damn good actor, he thought.

He inserted the disc and a myriad of screens popped up. Then a bigger, most focal homepage revealed itself and Der smiled. Graphs of diverse colors, names and descriptions of international, gargantuan companies were disclosed in front of Der's eyes, and QuickTime players were waiting to be opened, waiting to expose what Der wanted to know in order for him to outsmart other industries, both international and local. This… this disc was the key for him to earn the pinnacle amongst the business arena. With this, he could be bigger than Bill Gates—no, correction—bigger and richer than the presidents of three top countries combined.

He crudely nodded, turned off his computer, and made a motion with his hand. Two figures emerged from an unmarked van; one man walked toward them with a black briefcase, the other stayed with the parked van. A limousine suddenly made its presence known as it idly stopped in front of the black van. Der shook hands with the youth, bowed, and walked off.

The youth, smiling, did the same. And when both vehicles drove off, he grinned wildly. Everything was going according to plan. Oh yes, he would pay. Der Kaiser would pay for toying with his family's gracious trust.

Unsuspecting, Yamato took his shades off and sighed happily. When he left with his Saab, a man hiding behind the trees appeared and sent the photo to his boss.

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As Der clicked on a screen in his laptop, the assigned man who was left behind to note for suspicions finally sent a message. He clicked on his phone and gasped when he saw the photo of the youth. He cursed loudly, causing the driver to shift uneasily in his seat. Der briskly made a phone call; screamed when they hardly understood his frantic speech.

When the call ended, he pinched the bridge of his nose. All of a sudden, as if a jet of ice-cold water struck him, he jumped in his seat, throwing the laptop onto the floor. The driver slowed down to a stop and turned around. "Boss?"

"Fuck off and keep driving!" His breathing waned and he slowly, cautiously flipped the laptop's screen open. His jaw went slack when a series of numbers shifting randomly and speedily replaced the graphs and charts; a virus was in progress and it was destroying his most important files and computer. He raged in fret and anger. So he made a call, his eyes bulging in irrefutable, horrific fury.

"You are mistaken for messing with me, young Kudo." Der's voice went raspy after shouting a number of times. But that still didn't stop him from spattering at the phone.

Hearing the man's croaky wails, Yamato laughed. "No. Actually, it's on you. That's for abusing our trust, my trust. Using my father as a conduit to get the disc. You are such a greedy idiot."

Der fumed. "How dare you! You will regret messing with me. Indeed you will, you fool!"

"I'm not the fool, you are," Yamato said ruefully. He broke the connection instantly. Der threw a terrifying spasm, making the driver more jittery and paler. "Sir?"

"Shut up and drive!"

He made another call. "Change of plan. I want you to… chuck them out… subtly, of course." A pause. "Just the three. Yes. Perfect." As he ended the call, he combed back his disheveled hair and let out an eerie chuckle.

The driver shivered once again.

Der, as expected, barked at him to keep driving. _So, who's the fool now?_

End of Flashback 

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"Well call me green with jealousy I don't care, he's absolutely, deliciously hot, Hevn!" Chloe stared at Eiji, who was walking to them with drinks.

"I know. And he's sweet. We've been dating for six months now and I don't believe it… honestly." Hevn accepted his drink and kissed him on the cheek. "You're such a doll," she whispered to him.

He blushed. Hevn saw this and squeezed his hand lovingly. Chloe smiled brightly; she felt glad that Hevn finally moved on and was happy with her newly found man.

She glanced at the other couples at the table. Natsumi was laughing at Ginji's silly face (he probably ate too much food that his face started to turn an unusual shade of green—more like the lima bean color), Kazuki and Jubei were hugging on the dance floor, Makubex and Sakura were hovering over the boy's laptop—their faces too keyed up for her taste, and Ban and Himiko were probably outside the school's gym, doing God knows what. And here she was. Dateless. Loveless.

Chloe hated to admit that she was alone on her prom night. What a memorable anecdote of Yours Truly during her supposed big night. Bet my grandchildren would laugh like crazy or swear to conceal the inevitable truth that their grandmother was single throughout her high school years, she thought. _Oh God, I am pathetic._

"Why the long, sad face?" Chloe turned to the cool voice behind her. It was Akabane… in a suit. She licked her lips. And he was gorgeous. His violet eyes bore into her green eyes expectantly. "Care to dance… unless you want to sulk all through this wonderful evening?"

"Would I?" She jumped off her seat, squeezed her eyes shut as Akabane took her hand. She ignored the thought that she must have looked like a jerky, pitiful Chihuahua back there… but who cares?

Akabane chuckled at her tense mannerisms and started to gracefully lead her to the dance floor, far from Jubei and Kazuki. After a few sways, he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful. Always have."

Chloe bit her lower lip to control herself from kissing him dead-on. "You too."

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Himiko closed her eyes and murmured, "I feel great." Ban turned to her and smiled. They were both lying on the rooftop; their hands warm in each other's grasp.

Ban didn't have to say anything but rub her fingers tenderly. "I'm glad it's over."

Himiko opened her eyes. "Definitely." She thought about her brother. He left them for England. His purpose? To live a quieter life, to reflect on his past actions without any interruptions. He simply needed peace, and the countryside in the West seemed like a perfect site for contemplative relaxation.

Before he left, they sold the mansion and both Ban and Himiko kept the money for forthcoming collegiate reasons. Yamato then destroyed the disc before their very eyes. It was a dangerous weapon against humankind, against our own selves, Himiko thought. She tried to stop herself from shivering.

Ban noticed her shaking and rolled to his side to hug her. "It's okay." His breath was warm against her neck. After all these long years, he still had feelings for her. Maybe that was the reason why he was never serious around other girls. Maybe, it's because he had eyes only for her. He embraced her tighter.

Ban refused to close his eyes, afraid that he might remember the head-shattering events that had occurred the past few weeks.

But the memories just kept coming. His father went bankrupt. His mother left his dad; she went to Paul for solace, and oddly enough, Ban approved of their current relationship. Everything was dead weird this year. Ban had to laugh.

Himiko craned her neck to look at Ban. "What are you laughing about?"

"Everything." He ignored her stare and kissed her. "I love my life."

The End You like? No? Review! XD 


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